Twitter, Facebook keen on bagging media rights for IPL

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) released its Invitation to Tender (ITT) for social media rights of IPL. The tender rights are for the next cycle of IPL television and digital rights. As many as 18 companies with big names like Twitter, Facebook and Reliance Jio have shown interest and replied to the ITT. All these 18 companies will now be trying to get the media rights with their bids for television rights for IPL in Indian subcontinental until 2027 and till 2022 in the rest of the world.

BCCI President Anurag Thakur was very pleased with the response that they received. He mentioned that the current market trends suggest that showing content on multiple platforms is very essential. “With the global trends of showcasing content on multiple platforms becoming increasingly important – TV, internet and mobile rights are up for grabs together this time,” quoted Anurag Thakur in a statement.

He further suggested that the television is very much established in India. BCCI President suggested that the tenders are usually 8 years long. However, seeing the established nature of television in the country, they have gone on to extend the tender for television rights for 10 years. However, he cited that the trends keep fluctuating in the case of social media. Hence, the board decided to reduce the digital rights to just 5 years. The trends are bound to change in the social media in the future.

“In our country television is very well established,” he said. “If you look at most cricket tenders, eight years-ten years have been the norm. That’s why we went for 10 years. The area where trends are changing very fast is digital, that’s why we have reduced digital to five years,” quoted the BCCI President.

Also read – ICC accepts PCB’s request for special financial assistance

The 18 companies that have showed interest are as follows:

1. Followon Interactive Media

2. Taj TV India

3. Star India

4. Sony Pictures Networks

5. Times Internet

6. Supersport International

7. Reliance Jio Digital Services

8. Gulf DTH

9. GroupM Media India

10. BeIN IP

11. Econet Media

12. Sky UK

13. BTG Legal Services

14. BT PLC

15. Amazon

16. Facebook

17. Twitter

18. ESPN Digital Media

The submission of bids for the media rights will take place on 25 October 2016.