Viacom 18 wins the race for TV and digital rights of India's home games

Disney Star, Sony Sports and Viacom18 were locked in a three-way tussle to earn the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) media rights during the auction on Thursday, August 31. As per latest updates, Viacom 18 has won the TV and digital rights of team India’s home matches.

Viacom 18 will pen a five-year deal from 2023 to 2028 with the BCCI regarding the media rights. For the unversed, the auction had a 'free for all' rule wherein the bidding process would continue till only one participant remains on the table. In addition to this, the rule also permitted consortiums to enter the bidding process.

It is worth mentioning that the BCCI sold the media rights in two different packages. While package A (for TV) had a base price of INR 20 crore, Package B, which is for digital and the rest of the world, consisted of a base price set at INR 25 crore.

In addition, the apex board expects the number of games to increase in the upcoming cycle, which will directly impact the viewership and the monetary returns, as per a report by CNBC TV18. Notably, India will host two big cricketing heavyweights- Australia and England in the forthcoming cycle. Of the 88 fixtures to be played by India at home in the cycle, 39 will be against the two cricketing powerhouses.

With the new partners in place, JioCinema (the OTT streaming service owned by Viacom18) will broadcast the India matches on its app and website as well as on television. Previously, Disney Star held the media rights for both the TV as well as digital platforms as they had won the media rights for INR 6,138 crore.

Speaking about the national team, team India are gearing up for their first match in the Asia Cup 2023 against arch-rivals Pakistan. The Rohit Sharma-led side will square against Babar Azam and Co. at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy on September 2.