For the past ten years, our summers have been busy with the Indian Premier League (IPL). During this period of the year, it’s usually only one channel that the TV gets acquainted with- Sony Max. But from the next season of the IPL, things are going to be a bit different. The sporting event is no longer going to be telecast on Sony Max as there’s another company that has won the recent bid for its telecast rights.
IPL on Star
Star has pipped Sony Pictures Network to acquire the IPL media rights. The contract extends for a period of five years (2018-2022) and will cover both TV and digital rights. Star has spent a whopping INR 16,347.50 crores ($2.55 billion) to acquire the contract!!
Addressing a press conference, CEO of Star, Uday Shankar, said “I’d just like to convey my delight at being finally able to bring IPL to what we believe is the rightful home of cricket in India and elsewhere. We would also like to thank BCCI for choosing us as their appropriate partners. We compliment BCCI for running such as immaculately transparent process. IPL is a very powerful property. We would remain very committed to the growth of sports in the country. Hope it would be driven by the power of cricket.” He also stated that it was a conscious call to call for a global bid as they had a presence in all forms.
24 companies including stalwarts like ESPN, Amazon, etc, had shown interest in bidding for the rights. However, some ended up without even submitting the bids.
Back in 2008, Sony Pictures Network had won the bid with INR 8200 crores and got the telecast rights for 10 years, up to 2017.
The Star is already the current broadcasting partner for all the international matches played in India. It also covers domestic tournaments such as the Ranji Trophy, Deodhar Trophy, TNPL, and the KPL among others.
As they say, old habits die hard. So we need to get used to not tuning into Sony Max when someone says an IPL match. Miss you Sony Max! 🙁
