BCCI decides to remove the biggest hindrance for live streaming viewers in India

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to do away with the mandatory five-minute gap between television and digital broadcast. They have made it clear that all the matches in the Indian cricket will start simultaneously on both the platforms. The Indian board has taken this step in order to encourage the digital companies to bid fiercely for the media rights sale of the cricket in India. However, it is being believed that the new clause could be the gamechanger.

The BCCI has set the base price for the digital rights at Rs 7 Crores and the digital companies are expected to bid for the same as they no longer will be at disadvantage. The new clause has also made it mandatory for the television companies to bid for the digital rights.

TV companies could get miffed

However, this decision of the BCCI could make the television companies like Sony, Star and DSport feel aggrieved. According to the Indian cricketing body, this move has been made to maximise the revenue opportunity with the base price for television rights set at Rs 33 Crores. “The move has been made to help the big digital companies,” the market observed was quoted as saying by Mumbai Mirror.

This time around there are six companies in the fray and the most surprising entrant is Google who are trying to bag the rights. Jio and Facebook are the other digital bidders with the likes of Airtel and Amazon opting out. As far as the television rights are concerned Sony and Star are the leading candidates with D Sport also joining the race this year. The rights will be sold through e-auction on April 3 ahead of the commencement of the Indian Premier League (IPL) whose rights are bagged by Star India and are likely to bag the rights of Indian cricket as well.

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