Tag: Broadcast rights

ICC releases invitation to tender for pathway events from 2025-2027

MUMBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has released its invitation to tender (ITT) for various rights for ICC Pathway Events from 2025 up until the end of 2027.

Following the successful conclusion of the production and distribution of ICC Pathway Events from 2021-2024, the ICC is now starting the process for the next cycle.

The one combined package consists of 56 Pathway events comprising of 1246 matches across Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025, Men’s and Women’s T20 World Cups 2026 and 2028 and Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027.

The bundled rights include broadcast rights, event sponsorship rights, data rights and the successful bidder will also have the obligation to produce all matches. The successful bidder will have exclusivity to show the events live in India while the matches will be beamed live on the ICC’s OTT platform, ICC.tv in the rest of the world.

ICC chief commercial officer Anurag Dahiya said: “This is an incredibly exciting time for ICC Pathway Events. They play an important role in the development of cricket across our Emerging Members and provide context to ICC global flagship events. With the competitive and exciting cricket showcased in these events, the next three years present a fantastic opportunity to engage and strengthen relationships with fans across markets globally.”

The ITT was released today, and interested parties need to email iccmediarights2024-2031@icc-cricket.com to access the tender documents.

January 17, 2025
Disney Star to broadcast Australian cricket in India from 2024-25

Mumbai: Disney Star has inked a seven-year deal with Cricket Australia (CA) to broadcast all men’s and women’s international cricket as well as the Big Bash League (BBL) and Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) throughout India & the rest of Asia.

The deal estimated at $250 million will begin during the 2023-24 cycle. Cricket Australia is the national governing body for cricket in Australia.

Earlier, Disney Star held CA’s broadcast rights after which Sony Pictures Networks (SPN) India took over the rights. India is set to play a five-test series in Australia starting December & January (2024-25). It will be the first time India has played a five-test series in Australia since 1991-92. Disney Star will also hold the rights to Australia’s next home Ashes series in the summer of 2025-26.

“Disney Star’s massive audience reach will provide enormous exposure for Australian cricket and CA’s commercial partners in the world’s largest cricket market,” said the statement.

Disney Star also recently retained the TV broadcast rights for the T20 Indian Premier League from 2023-27 for Rs 23,575 crore. “CA’s alignment with the IPL broadcaster will ensure multiple benefits including widespread cross-promotion of the BBL,” it further noted.

“We are delighted to announce this new association with Disney Star from season 2023-24 onwards,” said Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley. “Disney Star is synonymous with the game in India and we look forward to working with them to showcase the outstanding cricket played in Australia every summer.”

“The magnitude of this association is testament to the enduring rivalry and respect that exists between Australian and Indian teams, the excitement and popularity of WBBL and BBL, and the high regard of Australian cricket in India and global markets more broadly,” he added.

“There was significant interest in our rights and we are very grateful to our current rights holder Sony for their partnership which will continue throughout this season.”

“Cricket Australia represents some of the best content that the world of cricket has to offer, be it the standard of cricket played, the popularity of Aussie Cricketers, the rivalries and narratives or the context of playing in front of expressive crowds and tough conditions,” said Disney Star head of sports Sanjog Gupta.

“Disney Star has been delighting millions of Indian fans by showcasing marquee cricket across our linear & digital platforms. Some of the most memorable moments for Indian fans have been produced in Australia and we look forward to elevating many more such moments with our unique brand of story-telling, programming, local activations and tech-enabled experiences in association with Cricket Australia,” he added.

July 25, 2022
SPNI to broadcast Davis Cup tie between India-Denmark on 4 and 5 March

Mumbai: Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) has acquired the exclusive media rights to broadcast Davis Cup tie between India and Denmark on 4 and 5 March.

As part of the deal signed with the All India Tennis Association, SPNI will broadcast the tournament on Sony Ten 2 channels across India and the subcontinent including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka as well as live-stream the tournament on their OTT platform, SonyLIV.

The Davis Cup World Group play-off tie between India and Denmark will be played at Delhi Gymkhana Club’s grass court. Under the leadership of captain Rohit Rajpal and mentorship of coach Zeeshan Ali, the Indian team comprises Ramkumar Ramanathan, Yuki Bhambri, Prajnesh Gunneswaran, Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan. Denmark will feature Mikael Torpegaard, Johannes Ingildsen, Christian Sigsgaard and Elmer Møller.

The Davis Cup matches are scheduled to start from 4 March, with a 15-minute opening ceremony, followed by the final day of the Indian leg on 5 March.

“We are pleased to acquire the media rights of the highly anticipated Davis Cup Tie between India and Denmark,” said SPNI chief revenue officer distribution and head – sports business Rajesh Kaul. “With India being the host for the tournament, tennis fans in India are looking forward to watching Team India serve up Denmark with the home ground advantage. Our viewers will get to cheer on top Indian players like Rohit Rajpal, Ramkumar Ramanathan, Yuki Bhambri, Prajnesh Gunneswaran, Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan who will be playing for their country.”

March 1, 2022
Sony Sports acquires exclusive broadcast rights for 2022 Asian Games

Mumbai: Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) has acquired exclusive media rights for the 2022 Asian Games from November 2021 to September 2023. The media network will broadcast the 19th edition of the Asian Games on its sports channels across India and the subcontinent including Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Afghanistan, Bhutan and Maldives. The games will also be available to watch on its OTT platform, SonyLIV.

The 2022 Asian Games will take place from 10 September to 25 September, in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China and five co-host cities. The multi-sporting event will feature 40 sports with a total of 61 disciplines including Olympic sports like swimming, archery, athletics, badminton, equestrian, fencing, football, hockey, judo, kabaddi, and much more.

E-sports and breakdancing will debut in the 2022 Asian Games as full medal sports after being approved by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) this year, while cricket will be back at Asian Games in T20 format.

For the first time ever, more than 300 athletes from Oceania countries have been given the chance to compete at this year’s edition of the Asian Games. The Oceania athletes, including those from Australia and New Zealand, will be allowed to compete in five sports: triathlon, athletics, wushu, roller skating, and weightlifting.

“The 2022 Asian Games is expected to be one of the biggest multi-sporting events in Asia this year and we are pleased to bag the exclusive media rights for India and the subcontinent,” said SPNI chief revenue officer distribution and head sports business Rajesh Kaul.

“The 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 Organising Committee (HAGOC) would like to congratulate the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) on the signing of an agreement with Sony Pictures Networks India for broadcasting rights to the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022, in India,” said Hangzhou city vice mayor and HAPGOC deputy secretary-general Chen Weiqiang. “This is the first signing of a rights-holding broadcaster for Hangzhou 2022 and marks the beginning of a new phase in the distribution of such rights for the event.”

January 27, 2022
Eurosport & Jio TV acquire broadcast rights for 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup

Mumbai: Eurosport India, Discovery Network’s sports brand, and Jio TV Network have acquired the broadcast rights for AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022. India hosts the 20th edition of Asia’s showpiece women’s football tournament between 20 January and 6 February.

Eurosport India will telecast the tournament on television. Meanwhile, Jio TV will stream the matches of the competition on its online platform and across its network.

The Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), which currently holds the media rights for all Asian Football Confederation (AFC) competitions in the Indian subcontinent, has accorded the PayTV broadcast rights to Eurosport India.

The 20th edition of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022 will feature 12 teams, which have been divided into three groups. Group A includes India, China PR, Chinese Taipei, and IR Iran, while Group B includes Australia, Thailand, Philippines, and Indonesia. Meanwhile, Japan, Korea Republic, Vietnam, and Myanmar have been slotted in Group C.

The tournament will begin in a round-robin format where each team will face the other three teams of the group to secure a place in the quarter-finals which will be held on 30 January. Hosts India will play their opening game against Iran on 20 January as they aim to gather home points to seal the top spot on an opening day.

The sports event will act as the final stage of Asian qualification for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. With Australia having already qualified as co-host, five more teams will qualify for the main event directly while two of them will progress to the inter-confederation play-offs.

January 7, 2022
Eurosport India secures Tokyo Paralympics 2020 broadcast rights

Mumbai: The Paralympic Committee of India has awarded the rights to broadcast the Tokyo 2020 Summer Paralympic Games to Eurosport India set to take place between 24 August and 5 September. The association marks the first time for Discovery-owned sports channel to broadcast a global multi-sport event in India.

Eurosport India will be the exclusive pay-TV partner in the SAARC countries. The rights include a showcase of Live sports, delayed telecast, and highlights across key events in 22 sporting disciplines.

With a focus on local heroes, Eurosport India’s coverage of the Paralympics will start on 27 August to coincide with the men’s and women’s archery events at Yumenoshima Park Archery Field. The Eurosport feed will also be Live on the discovery+ app for the fans to stay up to speed with all the action from Tokyo, the channel said in a statement on Wednesday.

Speaking about the association, Discovery Inc SVP – affiliate sales and product distribution, Asia – India sales & distribution and Eurosport India head, Vijay Rajput said, “This is a milestone event in the short life of Eurosport India. Eurosport is the home of the Olympics in Europe and our association with the Tokyo 2020 Summer Paralympic Games will be the first step towards a similar journey in India.”

“The Paralympic Committee of India and Eurosport India have a common vision of helping our athletes gain visibility amongst passionate Indian sporting communities and this association is a testimony of that,” he added.

“At the brink of a historic national sporting movement, our Indian para sportsmen are inspired and excited to win glory and pride for the country. Such honouring moments must and would be shared and celebrated. Indians masses across the globe should be able to bask in the triumphant performance of our Paralympic stars,” added the Paralympic Committee of India, secretary-general, Gursharan Singh.

India will be fielding its largest ever contingent at Tokyo 2020 Summer Paralympic Games with 54 Paralympic athletes participating across nine sporting disciplines.

August 11, 2021
Dsport acquires broadcast rights of New Japan Pro-Wrestling

MUMBAI: Discovery Communications India’s sports channel Dsport, has acquired the exclusive broadcast rights of the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) from Japanese producer and broadcaster TV Asahi Corporation.

New Japan Pro-Wrestling: King Of Sports will be telecast on Dsport at 9:00 PM every Monday starting 20 November 2017.

DSport’s portfolio of wrestling properties also includes the American Ring of Honor and Lucha Underground and it now has broadcast rights for more than 150 hours of fresh wrestling content.

NJPW, over the last few years, has seen unprecedented growth in its fan following across the globe. NJPW, which has been existent for over four decades now, has also seen participation from some WWE legends like The Undertaker, Sting & Hulk Hogan in the past. Some of the current superstars of the promotion are – Kazuchika Okada –IWGP Heavyweight Champion; Kenny Omega – IWGP US Heavyweight Champion; Hiroshi Tanahashi –IWGP Intercontinental Champion; and Tetsuya Naito, the Leader of Los Ingobernables de Japón.

NJPW currently has eight titles for which the wrestlers compete – IWGP Heavyweight; IWGP Intercontinental; IWGP United States Heavyweight; IWGP Junior Heavyweight; IWGP Tag Team; IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team; NEVER Openweight and NEVER Openweight 6-man Tag Team Championships. The NJPW also hosts several tournaments round the year. Some of the most renowned amongst them are – Wrestle Kingdom, G1 Climax; World Tag League, New Japan Cup and Best of the Super Juniors.

November 14, 2017
Sony Six bags World Kabaddi League broadcast rights

MUMBAI: Multi Screen Media’s (MSM) sports arm Sony Six has bagged the television broadcast rights of the World Kabaddi League (WKL) in India. That apart, the sport will be exclusively telecast on Geo TV in Pakistan and ARY TV in Dubai and UAE.

Indiantelevision.com was the first to report about the possible acquisition. Sony Six currently has big sports properties on board, right from the Indian Premier League (IPL) to the ongoing FIFA World Cup.

While seven countries including India, Pakistan, England, Belgium, USA, Canada and Australia will participate in the WKL as of now, 10 teams that are neither state- nor country- specific have already been confirmed. WKL has been modeled on lines of a travelling sports property where all 10 teams will play each other in the same week, similar to the Formula One format.

The prize money for the opening season of the League is Rs 4 crore.

World Kabaddi League commissioner Pargat Singh commented on the deal saying “Since time immemorial Kabaddi has incited passion among the North Indian youth. By and large a rural sport, Kabaddi is going through a transformation, as seen in the last four successful seasons of the World Cup with participation from over 21 countries. In our endeavor to professionalize the sport we intend to take Kabaddi to the next level through our partnership with Sony SIX as the official broadcaster of WKL in India. With World Kabaddi League (WKL) our attempt is to give Indian emerging talents a platform for a serious Kabaddi career. ”

World Kabaddi League CEO Raman Raheja commenting on the selection of the premier broadcasters said, ”We were in talks with various broadcasters for each region and out of them all Sony Six had the most promising line up of premier sporting properties this year. For a debutant sporting property the broadcaster becomes a very crucial associate in determining the economic success of a league and I am extremely delighted to announce this association. WKL’s underlying philosophy has been to build a sustainable eco system for all its league partners and associates. WKL will leave no stone unturned in providing a rich engaging experience to the sports fans through its enhanced production values.”

MSM EVP and Sony Six business head Prasana Krishnan said “We are pleased to sign World Kabaddi League as this game has a latent following in North India where it is seen as a community sport. We feel it is time to revive its legacy and make it an exciting venture for all those involved in the Kabaddi ecosystem. It will be interesting to take this sport to the swanky stadiums in India and abroad. It’s our endeavor to popularize Indian sports and through this association we aim to create visibility and generate interest for the game.”

July 11, 2014
BSB gets IPL broadcast rights for UK from 2015-2017

MUMBAI: The audience in the United Kingdom will watch the Indian Premiere League on the British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB) network as it has beaten the four-time broadcaster ITV to bag the rights of the series in the years 2015, 2016, 2017.

The decision was taken when the IPL Governing Council met in Bengaluru recently and BSkyB was awarded the telecast, internet and mobile rights of the Pepsi Indian Premier League, for the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, and the European territories for the three years.

In the UK, ITV4 was the sole broadcaster of the IPL for the past four seasons.

This would also be the first time that IPL will be shown on a subscription channel.

Sky Sports MD Barney Francis said: “It’s the cricket competition that everyone is talking about and from next year, only on Sky Sports can viewers follow the IPL live. Sky Sports’ cricket coverage has never been stronger, offering something for everyone including the major Test playing nations, the best players and now the world’s richest competition. We can’t wait.”

February 17, 2014
Deloitte: Global premium sports broadcast rights pegged at $24.2 billion

MUMBAI: Sports fans have much to cheer about as Deloitte in a report have predicted that the value of premium sports broadcast rights worldwide will increase by 14 per cent and reach $24.2 billion (as on 30 June 2013). This is $2.9 billion higher than last year.

India’s Indian Premier League and Indian national team cricket are included as premium sports across the globe along with the National Basketball Association (NBA), top tier domestic football leagues, F1 etc. “The premium sports in each market represent a small proportion of all professional sports activity. However, they represent the vast majority of viewer interest and the bulk of all television revenues,” reads the report.

The Indian Premiere League was bought by Sony and World Sport Group (WSG) in 2008 for $918 million for a period of 10 years. The broadcast rights for domestic games of the national cricket team is with Star Sports while for international games is with Ten Sports.

About three quarters of the whole amount will be contributed by the top ten sports in the world that includes: the top-tier domestic football leagues in England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, the UEFA Champions League, and the four major North American professional leagues. The substantial revenue growth in 2014 will be largely driven by new broadcast deals for England’s Premier League, Germany’s Bundesliga and Major League Baseball.

“Television and premium sports are well matched for each other: at the highest level, sport is great unscripted live drama for television. Constant advances in technology are leading to ever more sophisticated, compelling ways in which sports can be portrayed. The development of pay TV in particular has transformed the broadcasting of premium sports leagues. Live content is a key subscription driver for those leagues and underpins pay TV business models. As the pay TV subscriber base rises and revenue per user grows, operators are investing increasing sums to secure this key content,” said Deloitte Sports Business Group senior consultant Austin Houlihan.

He added, “New market entrants looking for attractive differentiating sports content have intensified competition driving substantial uplifts in rights fees. For example, BT’s entry into the UK sports rights market, acquiring sports content to help retain and build its telephony, broadband, and pay TV services, has resulted in substantial revenue uplifts. The Premier League enjoyed a 71% increase in the value of its domestic live rights from 2013/14, while the amount paid for UK rights to UEFA’s top club competitions will double in value from 2015/16.”

In India, the IPL and the matches played by the Indian national team are set to rake in more money this year through sponsorships and associations through merchandises.

January 6, 2014