BCCI to sell IPL TV rights through open tender process

The BCCI president Anurag Thakur made it clear that the broadcasting rights for the upcoming cycle starting from 2018 can only be secured through an open tender bidding process. The BCCI president made this announcement in Delhi on Sunday.

“IPL is the world’s fastest growing league. It is the most popular cricket league in the world and the 6th most popular sports league in the world. So it is more important for us when we announce the next tender process, we want it to be very transparent. This is not only going to be a bid, but it will be a historic bid in the history of cricket.”

“Talent meets opportunity is the tagline of the IPL. And, I think the last 9 years what we have seen is that the world has recognized IPL as their favorite league. Top most players want to participate in this league and BCCI has been proud to start such a league in which other have followed. “

The BCCI had made SPNI aware of the open tender during negotiations held over the past few months. According to a top BCCI official, a clause in the original contract dictated that both parties would discuss the new deal in a 60-day window immediately after the 2016 IPL. The window opened on May 30, the day after the IPL final.

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According to the BCCI’s rules and regulations, during this period SPNI was supposed to make an offer for the BCCI to consider and the apex board was supposed to respond within 10 days of the closing of the 60-day negotiating window. However, there was no settlement.

In 2009, SPN — then known as MSM —had bought the broadcasting rights for USD 1.6 billion for the following nine editions. The negotiation clause under the existing contract allows SPNI the first right of refusal as well the right to match a counter-offer made by a rival. It was reported earlier that BCCI was expecting double the value of the last contract it signed with SNPI in 2008 for extension of the contract.

“We had to make a final offer to them,” the BCCI official told ESPNcricinfo on Saturday (17th Sept.). “That is in the text of the contract. We met several times and our line to them was, in today’s day and age, this is the biggest sports deal (IPL broadcasting rights), and it has to happen through an open tender. There is no other way.”

The official did not divulge the details of the tender process, including whether the rights would be sold for a 10-year cycle as it had been previously, or for a smaller period of time.

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According to this official, picking the next IPL broadcaster through a tender process obeys the guidelines listed in the Lodha Committee report. It will help BCCI to be more transparent in the business deals.

“The only transparent process is through an open tender and that is also the right way to discover the right price for this property. The Supreme Court judgement of July 18 clearly mentions that all future negotiations need to happen through a tender. So if we do anything else it would be an infringement of the order.”

When asked whether SPNI had agreed to the process, the BCCI official said, “They have not said anything to the contrary.”

While senior SPNI officials were not available for comments about this announcement made by the BCCI, an official with the know-how of the negotiations stated that SPNI hasn’t accepted the BCCI’s offer.

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“SPNI has not accepted it. There are still a lot of things pending including legal options and all. SPNI’s view is BCCI is not honoring its contract.”

But. according to the BCCI official, SPNI were “interpreting” the offer to be a financial one. But the official stressed that there was no mention of the BCCI ever having to make a “financial offer” to SPNI during the negotiations. “We told them you are a valued stakeholder so please come and participate in the tender process.”