Tag: Indian Premier League

IPL chairman Arun Dhumal predicts media rights surge to $50B at RCB Innovation Lab Leaders Meet

Mumbai: The Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Arun Dhumal indicated that the league’s journey of success over the last 15 years should potentially drive its media rights value to $50 billion in the next two decades. Dhumal spoke during the RCB Innovation Lab’s Leaders Meet India on Thursday in Bengaluru.

The media rights for the IPL have grown from Rs 6,000 crores to Rs 48000 crores and the league is only second to the National Football League (NFL) across all sporting leagues in the world. Dhumal believes the widespread popularity and success of the league will act as a catalyst in its evolution over the next 10 years.

“If I have to see how it has gone over the last 15 years and if I have to go by estimates going forward, we are expecting media rights to go somewhere close to USD 50 billion by around 2043. Going forward, we need to keep innovating, keep doing better in terms of fan engagement, and keep making it better in terms of the quality of games. Now that cricket is becoming part of the Olympics and with the Women’s Premier League taking it to a different level for women’s cricket, I see a lot of hope and light at the end of the tunnel. Because of the way it has been happening for the last 15 years, it is only going to get better,” he said.

RCB Innovation Lab’s Leaders Meet India has brought together the biggest game changers from across the sporting world, offering a truly global perspective on the present and future of the sports industry and how India can become a powerhouse in the business of sports.

Dissecting the role of IPL in earning India a different reputation from the entire world, Arun Dhumal commented, “IPL is the most-watched cricket league in the world. We have fans across the world and when they come to watch, they get to see the diversity and culture of India. They will watch a match up North down South, East to West, because teams are spread all across the country. We are a very diverse country in terms of different states, different cultures, and different languages being spoken but this is one platform which is rooted so well that you are able to showcase in India to the globe.”

Prominent stakeholders from all across the world shared their excitement and sparked conversations regarding the emergence of India as a sporting giant on the international stage at the first-of-its-kind summit which is a groundbreaking initiative of RCB Innovation Labs.

While talking about the fan insights and engagement of IPL and its franchises, Arun Dhumal lauded Royal Challengers Bangalore’s extensive fanbase by mentioning, “We work as a team with all franchises, we are all partners. We have seen at the recently held World Cup games, that they (fans) were there for Team India, but at the same time, they were rooting for RCB also, which is a great thing and we are very proud of that. Personally, I feel IPL is the best Make in India brand we can think of post-independence.”

RCB Innovation Lab’s Leaders Meet India concluded on November 30.

December 1, 2023
Freemium model in OTT is the future

Mumbai: US subscriber base of Netflix and Disney+ reported growth of 5.4 per cent YoY and 0.2 per cent YoY in Q3CY23, respectively; the international segment outperformed with subscriber growth of 10.5 per cent YoY and 17.0 per cent YoY for Netflix and Disney+, respectively. Netflix continues to lead as it has a paid subscriber base of 247.2mn vs 150.2mn of Disney+. Disney+Hotstar(India and other Asia nations) paid subscribers declined for the fourth consecutive quarter, as it fell 38.7 per cent YoY; Disney+ Hotstar has lost 37 per cent of its paid subscriber base (now at 37.6 mn paid subs) over the four quarters after 1) losing Indian Premier League (IPL) digital rights and 2) offering World Cup content free of cost, which also has led to a loss in paid subscriber base over the past two months. We believe Disney+Hotstar subscriber loss has bottomed and may see mid-single digit growth over the next few quarters based on new content offerings – movies and web series slate. Netflix (US) average revenue per user (ARPU) declined 0.5 per cent YoY whereas Disney+ (US) posted ARPU growth of 23 per cent YoY (on a low base) during the quarter. In India, Disney+Hotstar was the only platform that grew 20.7 per cent YoY to USD 0.7 or Rs 58 per month on low base.

Focus on cost optimisation driving increased monetisation

Netflix’s innovative move on paid sharing has reaped rich dividends, as it has led to better subscriber growth, which was 9.4 per cent YoY (average) over the past two quarters since the introduction of this feature in May’23 ; the ad tier model too has received a positive response and can become big, led by connected TV adoption globally, as Netflix also plans to make inroads in the gaming business too. Disney+ has also seen success in the ad supported plan, as 50 per cent of new subscriber addition is on ad-supported model. Disney+ plans to reduce losses in the streaming business and has cut annual content budget by 7 per cent YoY to USD 25bn. Disney continues to evaluate strategic options for its linear TV networks while maintaining focus on cost optimisation and high-quality content delivery.

Read through for Indian OTT

Zee5, India’s larger broadcaster peer, too has focused on efficiency in its digital business, as losses narrowed marginally by 8.3 per cent YoY to Rs 2.5bn. India’s OTT market has seen a big disruption post Jio Cinema’s free offering of IPL content, which, in turn, will negatively affect subscription video on-demand (SVOD) revenue growth, as platforms may be unable to raise prices; innovative measures, such as ad-supported streaming and password-sharing initiatives may be the only levers for better monetization. Disney+Hotstar continues to look for a strategic partner, and high probability of the Z-Sony merger, we still believe India’s OTT market will see early signs of consolidation in the near to medium term, which is the only way content cost would climb down and enable platforms to move closer to break-even & profitability.

The credit of this article goes to Elara Capital SVP Karan Taurani.

November 16, 2023
Viacom18 opts to knock-out rogue websites from infringing its media rights for BCCI events

Mumbai: Viacom18 has secured a broad dynamic injunction from the Delhi High Court for the Indian cricket team’s bilateral matches.

Recently, to strengthen its hold in the sports broadcasting industry, Viacom18 had bagged the BCCI linear and digital right in a three-way bidding war between Viacom18, Sony and Star. As a result, for the next five years i.e., from September 2023 till March 2028, all bilateral games involving the Indian cricket team that will be played in India along with domestic cricket, shall now be broadcasted/streamed by Viacom18 on its television and OTT properties. With this Viacom18 has also become the prominent sports destination as it already has the digital rights for the Indian Premier League (IPL), Women’s Premier League (WPL) and other major sporting events like the Olympics 2024, MotoGP 2023, La Liga, Diamond League etc.

The new sports broadcasting leader, Viacom18 Media Private Ltd, had approached the Delhi High Court seeking an ad-interim dynamic injunction to protect its Media Rights in relation to the BCCI Events against various rogue and pirate websites as well as John Does/Ashok Kumars/Unknown Defendants. The Court while expressing its concerns regarding the unending menace of piracy noted that the courts have become inundated with suits pertaining to such issues and suggested the importance of a robust anti-piracy policy to curb the issues. The Court observed that a prima facie case for interim injunction was made out and further held that the grant of an injunction would be necessary to avoid irreparable loss/injury from being caused to Viacom18.

The court further ordered that Viacom18 shall not be bound to initiate any fresh proceedings in relation to any new alphanumeric/redirect/mirror websites that are expected to mushroom during the course of the BCCI events. Access to such websites shall be blocked by the Internet Service Providers (IPSs) upon being informed about the same by Viacom18 on an affidavit. This dynamic injunction provides Viacom18 to swiftly act against pirates and rogue websites infringing and making available the BCCI matches without due permissions. With this effective dynamic injunction Order from the Delhi High Court, Viacom18 has set the field to ensure a smooth exploitation of its rights and bowl-out any infringing and pirated content.

Such dynamic injunction orders re-affirm and assure the owner/licensee/assignee of IP rights that the humongous capitals invested in relation to such rights shall be protected against pirates and infringers. With such orders being passed by the courts, it has also become possible to unearth the identities of those hiding behind the cloak of anonymity on the internet and book them for their illegal actions.

Viacom18 Media Pvt. Ltd. general counsel Anil Lale said, “We at Viacom18 are proud to be the exclusive digital and television broadcaster for Indian cricket. Viacom18 has always been at the forefront in the fight against piracy. I am sure this is a welcome step for all the cricket fans as also for bona fide broadcasters like us who spend huge sums to get these rights..

While we are proud to say that we have won several battles against these pirate websites, we understand that the war against piracy is a continuing one and we are committed towards winning it.”

September 26, 2023
Viacom18 & Cricket South Africa announce long-term partnership

Mumbai: Viacom18 Sports, India’s newest sports network, today announced a seven-year partnership with Cricket South Africa (CSA) for exclusive digital and TV rights for all international cricket from 2024–2031. As part of the association, Viacom18 will present all senior men’s international and senior women’s international competitions played in South Africa. CSA’s previous broadcast partner was Disney Star.

Viacom18’s portfolio includes the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, starting 20 November ending 18 December. All matches will be exclusively aired live on JioCinema and pay-TV channels Sports18 (1 SD and HD).

The Cricket South Africa partnership deepens Viacom18’s commitment to present world-class cricket action from South Africa after they recently announced a 10-year partnership with SA20, South Africa’s newly-launched premier cricket league. Cricket South Africa and Viacom18 will work closely to enhance the showcase of international cricket from South Africa to the passionate fanbase in India.

India and South Africa, the parties states, have a history of producing incredible contests, which have been complemented by mutual admiration, whether it was for India being the first nation to play against Proteas after apartheid or for touring the Rainbow Nation at the height of Omicron in December 2021.

The partnership will cover all international cricket from South Africa, including the Mahatma Gandhi-Nelson Mandela Series between India and South Africa. The deal includes other series like the Basil D’Oliveira against England and tours from Sri Lanka, Pakistan, the West Indies, Australia, and Bangladesh.

“South Africa is one of the most competitive and formidable teams across formats in world cricket, and this partnership will offer some great contests to the cricket-loving fans in India. The association with Cricket South Africa is a testament to our pursuit to offer fans an unrivalled, high-quality broadcast experience of some of the best cricket action in primetime,” said Viacom18 Sports CEO Anil Jayaraj.

CSA CEO Pholetsi Moseki said, “CSA is pleased to partner with a broadcaster of Viacom18’s stature. This is an affirmation of our intention to beam to our waiting fans the flavour of cricket that South Africa has in store, which is always exhilarating and entertaining. This partnership is the beginning of a journey that will offer the thrill of watching cricket, brought to you by a broadcaster that values the viewer experience as supreme.”

The addition of the Cricket South Africa rights strengthens Viacom18’s portfolio of sporting events, including the Indian Premier League, SA20, FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, NBA, Diamond League, LaLiga, Serie A, Ligue 1, and top ATP and BWF events.

November 8, 2022
Viacom18 and SA20 announce strategic 10-year partnership

Mumbai: Viacom18 Sports, India’s newest sports network, on Wednesday announced a 10-year partnership to exclusively present SA20, South Africa’s recently launched premier T20 league, in India.

The addition of SA20 strengthens Viacom18’s portfolio of world-class sporting events, including the Indian Premier League, FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, NBA, Diamond League, LaLiga, Serie A, Ligue 1, and top ATP and BWF events.

Viacom18 is reshaping sports fans’ experiences and building one of the most-loved media platforms in India. The SA20 and Viacom18 will work closely to grow and engage cricket fans in India. South Africa’s strong cricket roots, domestic set-up, and popularity of its players with Indian fans will enable SA20 to stand out among other international T20 leagues. South Africa and India have a long and storied cricket relationship that this partnership will further strengthen while bringing high-quality T20 action to Indian fans.

Cricket South Africa (CSA) is leaving no stone unturned to deliver a massively entertaining and competitive show by encouraging all their marquee players to be available for the SA20 tournament.

The inaugural SA20 auction in September saw over 100 players signed by the six teams. Teams could sign up a maximum of ten South Africans and seven overseas cricketers in their squad. For every match, each team will be allowed to have up to four overseas players in the XI. All teams have also opted to sign one uncapped, young player.

The SA20 will see international superstars like Quinton de Kock, Faf Du Plessis, Kagiso Rabada, David Miller, Anrich Nortje, Rashid Khan, Jos Buttler, Eoin Morgan, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, Liam Livingstone, Maheesh Theekshana, and Jason Holder in action.

The league features six teams playing each other twice in a round-robin stage before the semis and final. In all, 33 matches will be played over four weeks starting 10 January 2023. The six teams—Joburg Super Kings, Pretoria Capitals, Durban SuperGiants, Sunrisers Eastern Cape, Paarl Royals, and MI Cape Town—are owned by groups that have teams across various global leagues, including the Indian Premier League.

“We continue to offer fans an immersive and engaging experience by strengthening our sports portfolio with some of the best cricket action through SA20,” said Viacom18 Sports CEO Anil Jayaraj. “T20 is the most popular cricket format with Indian fans. The history and legacy of South African cricket and the popularity of South African cricketers in India make it a thrilling proposition for cricket fans in India. We expect significant viewership and fan engagement as the event will be played in primetime.”

“Today is a ground-breaking day for South African cricket. This long-term partnership between the SA20 and Viacom18 as our official Indian broadcaster is a catalyst that supports our ambitions to build the world’s second-biggest league,” said SA20 League commissioner and former South Africa captain Graeme Smith. “With six IPL owners expanding their brands in South Africa, Viacom18 is the perfect partner to take the SA20 into the homes of the passionate and cricket loving Indian market.”

“The benefits of domestic cricket will be far-reaching, with more South African players exposed to a global cricket audience and a stimulus to build a strong and sustainable cricket ecosystem. As SA20, we look forward to working with the dynamic team at Viacom 18 to build a world-class league,” Smith added.

Viacom18 recently announced that JioCinema will live-stream all the matches and offer curated content around the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. The world’s greatest show, the football World Cup, which happens once every four years, will be exclusively presented on JioCinema and Sports18 platforms from 20 November through 18 December.

November 3, 2022
Netflix to remain SVod world leader by 2027: Digital TV Research

Mumbai: Global SVod subscriptions will increase by 475 million between 2021 and 2027 to reach 1.68 billion. Six US-based platforms will account for 47 per cent of the world’s total in 2027.

Netflix will remain the revenue winner, with $30 billion expected by 2027 – similar to Disney+, HBO Max and Paramount+ combined. Global SVod revenues will reach $132 billion by 2027.

Digital TV Research principal analyst Simon Murray said, “Our forecasts in June had Disney+ [274 million subscribers] overtaking Netflix [253 million subs] by 2027. These forecasts assumed that Disney+ Hotstar would retain the Indian Premier League cricket rights. It didn’t – hence the 67 million lower forecast for Disney+.

“SVod revenues for Disney+ will reach $15 billion by 2027. Despite lowering our forecasts by 67 million subscribers, SVod revenues for Disney+ will be the same in 2027 as in our previous forecast. SVoD ARPUs and revenues will increase in key markets after the platform introduces the hybrid AVoD-SVoD tier and the more expensive SVod-only tier,” he added.

September 22, 2022
Rajeev Khanna is Abu Dhabi T10 COO

MUMBAI: The cricket league Abu Dhabi T10 announces the appointment of Rajeev Khanna as COO for the upcoming season of the tournament, wherein he will be responsible for the overall management and the competition’s operations.

Khanna, who is a former cricket player, has been a pioneer in the field of sports management. He has converted his passion for sports into a career with tenures at leagues such as the Indian Premier League (IPL), Pro Kabaddi League and International Tennis Premier League.

Khanna has been working in the IPL since 2009. He has served as Punjab Kings, COO at Rajasthan Royals, VP at Rajasthan Royals and currently as a consultant for Rajasthan Royals. Through the years, he has been able to bring about a phenomenal change in the ways of sports management at the highest stage.

Khanna said, “The Abu Dhabi T10 is the most exhilarating cricket tournament in the world and therefore, I am very excited to join the bandwagon as the COO of the competition. I will definitely look to ensure that the legacy of the tournament continues to grow exponentially and becomes an even bigger attraction for the stars of the game in the future.”

T10 Sports Management chairman Shaji Ul Mulk said, “Rajeev Khanna has achieved great heights during his career and we are very excited to welcome him to the Abu Dhabi T10 family. I am sure that our tournament will benefit hugely from his experience, and we look forward to a long and fruitful relationship with him.”

The Abu Dhabi T10 will be played at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi from 23 November – 4 December 2022.

September 13, 2022
‘Our mission is to take the experience of IPL to cricket fans in every part of our country’: Nita Ambani

Mumbai: Viacom18 plans to take India’s biggest sporting event the Indian Premier League (IPL) to every nook and corner of the country. It aims to make IPL available everywhere in India including the 60 million users that reside on free direct-to-home platform DD Free Dish.

“Sports entertain us, inspire us and bring us together. Cricket and IPL personify the best of sport and the best of India, which is why we are proud to be deepening our association with this great game and this wonderful league. Just like with everything we do, our mission is to take the joyful experience of IPL to cricket fans wherever they are – in every part of our country and around the world,” said Reliance Industries director Nita Ambani.

Viacom18 has acquired the rights to digitally stream Indian Premier League matches in the Indian sub-continent for the seasons from 2023 to 2027. It has also won the India digital rights for a special package of 18 games in every season. Globally, Viacom18 has won television as well as digital rights in three out of five international territories, including major cricketing nations.

With its wide reach, strategic tie-ups and increasingly popular content bouquet, the digital platforms of Viacom18 are gearing up for leadership in India as well as with the Indian diaspora globally.

In a statement, the company said it has state-of-the-art digital expertise to provide best possible user experience to hundreds of millions of Indians and global consumers.

Its digital platforms will utilise a combination of top-class content as well as digital prowess through big data analytics and predictive algorithms to offer contextualised and relevant content to each consumer.

This is the first major foray of the broadcaster into cricket. It holds the broadcast rights to FIFA World Cup Qatar, La Liga, Serie A and Ligue 1. It also offers badminton, tennis and basketball (NBA) via it’s channels. The addition of IPL makes Viacom18 a formidable sports broadcaster in the country.

“This will be an exceptional opportunity for advertisers to reach a larger, younger, relevant and highly-engaged audience. The targeting opportunities because of Viacom18’s strategic partnership with Jio will be unparalleled,” said the statement.

June 15, 2022
Knight Riders Group acquires Abu Dhabi franchise in UAE T20 League

Mumbai: UAE’s T20 League has announced that Knight Riders Group has acquired the rights to own and operate the Abu Dhabi franchise and will set up Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (ADKR) as a part of the UAE’s flagship T20 league.

After establishing Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2008 in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the Knight Riders became owners of the Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) in 2015. Recently, the Knight Riders Group made an investment in Major League Cricket (MLC) in the US and intends to set up a franchise in the greater Los Angeles area.

This investment by the Knight Riders Group, which is led by Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan, along with Juhi Chawla & her husband Jay Mehta, will establish their fourth T20 franchise around the world in IPL, CPL, MLC and now in UAE’s T20 league.

Khan said, “For several years now, we have been expanding the Knight Riders brand globally and closely watching the potential for T20 cricket in the UAE. We are excited about becoming part of UAE’s T20 League, which no doubt will become hugely successful.”

“The commitment to grow the T20 format and the expertise gathered by the Knight Riders Group, through their involvement in franchise cricket across the world, is undisputed,” commented UAE’s T20 League chairman Khalid Al Zarooni. “We are exceptionally pleased with their foresight to join forces with the UAE’s T20 League and firmly believe it will elevate the reputation, and professionalism of the League throughout the cricket community.”

“We are pleased with the association of the Knight Riders Group with the League as a franchise team owner, we are very confident that this association will be mutually beneficial for both Knight Riders brand and the League,” said Emirates Cricket Board general secretary Mubashshir Usmani. “UAE’s T20 League will attract some of the biggest names in world cricket while also giving a platform and international exposure to local and upcoming players.”

“We feel fortunate to have been consistently recognised as a global brand in T20 cricket,” stated KKR, Red Chillies Entertainment CEO Venky Mysore. “As T20 cricket expands around the world, we are flattered by the regular invitations to play a major role in growing the sport across the world. We have had a keen interest in the developments in the UAE and our expansion is consistent with our long-term strategy.”

May 13, 2022
71% of IPL viewers get influenced by ads with Bollywood celebs: iCubesWire survey

Mumbai: With Indian Premier League (IPL) fever spreading across India and marketers promoting the event as one of the biggest advertising ecosystem in the country, a whopping 71 per cent of the respondents surveyed said their buying decisions get influenced if there is a Bollywood celebrity in streaming ads. Digital marketing agency iCubesWire conducted a IPL marketing and advertising survey among 1,000 respondents from mid-March to mid-April.

The survey further indicates that a significant 74 per cent of the respondents agreed that their buying decisions from IPL streaming ads get influenced by such ads that are targeted towards children or liked by younger age segment.

“IPL is one of the biggest sporting event on the planet and lot of advertising money is spent on its broadcasting by brands to reach out to their target group,” iCubesWire CEO Sahil Chopra. “This survey has clearly indicated that brands are still banking on Bollywood celebrities to deliver their message to end users, a trend which we believe will continue to stay with many OTT celebrities also joining the fray.”

As the country in the last few years has also been witnessing a major push towards getting back to Indian roots, 73 per cent of the respondents said they prefer watching ads that show Indian culture or legacy.

Not surprisingly, Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way we buy products and services with healthcare becoming the top concern for everyone. The healthcare sector including health insurance advertisements during IPL streaming has led to 78 per cent of the surveyed respondents to invest on their physical fitness and health.

Other key findings are:

· IPL survey says that 80 per cent of fans enjoy interaction over chat apps during live streaming.

· Nearly 64 per cent people of the poll takers like to watch IPL matches on TV. On the other hand, 32 per cent of the people like to watch IPL matches on their mobile phones, a number that has been consistently growing over the last few years.

· In terms of language, respondents preferred to watch ads in both English and Hindi equally at 47 per cent.

· Fantasy cricket leagues have been gaining traction as one of the leading advertisers on IPL, and 69 per cent of the respondents agreed that they participate in such gaming leagues.

· As fast internet has reached to almost all corners of India, 80 per cent of the respondents said they participate in community viewing virtually and chat with friends and relatives on the streaming apps.

April 15, 2022