Viacom18 bags consolidated digital media rights for IPL

Viacom18 has won the non-exclusive digital rights for 18 matches of the Indian Premier League (IPL) during the media rights auction that began on June 12 and concluded on June 14.

The company has bagged the rights for package C at Rs 3,273 crore which translates into Rs 33.24 crore per match for 98 games. The 18 games in package C include the opening match, four playoff games and 13 evening double header matches. The base price for this package was set at Rs 1,440 crore and Rs 16 crore per game.

"Viacom18 bags digital rights with its winning bid of Rs 23,758 crore. India has seen a digital revolution and the sector has endless potential. The digital landscape has changed the way cricket is watched. It has been a big factor in the growth of the game and the Digital India vision," said Jay Shah, Secretary, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

With Reliance Industries-owned Viacom18 winning the digital rights, IPL is likely to attract more viewers. Reliance's telecommunications company Jio has over 400 million customers. In addition, around 85 percent of viewership volumes of certain over-the-top (OTT) platforms were generated by telcos, said a FICCI-EY 2022 report. The report expects around 400 million consumers to consume content via telco and aggregator bundles by 2025.

Also, the overall digital rights value has surpassed TV, which now stands at Rs 23,575 crore for the upcoming IPL media rights cycle of 2023-2027.

Along with digital rights, Viacom18 has also bagged global rights for TV and digital to air IPL in markets including Australia, the UK and South Africa. The per match cost of these matches is Rs 2.6 crore, up from the base price of Rs 3 crore per match. The overall value of package D which includes rights for the rest of the world stands at Rs 1,058 crore, up from the floor price of Rs 1,110 crore.

"Times (Internet) has got MENA (Middle East and North Africa) and the US. The IPL is as popular outside India as it is here and the viewers will be able to enjoy top-class cricket," added Shah.