The IPL media rights will be up for auction in mid-2022 as the 5-year deal with Disney India ends after this ongoing season. As the tussle between moguls and tycoons of the business world is on the cards, the BCCI has declared the combined base price for the broadcasting rights of IPL to be INR 32,890 crore(USD 4.35 Billion approximately). Moreover, IPL is by far the most popular T20 league in the world, and in the arena of sports, the cash-rich league is counted amongst the topmost lucrative leagues alongside EPL and NFL. The BCCI has subdivided the media rights contract into 4 bundles.
“Not only be revenue maximisation but also value maximisation” BCCI secretary on the auction process
Bundle A caters to the TV rights in the Indian subcontinent. A base price of Rs 49 crore per match is fixed, which estimates a cumulative figure of Rs 18,130 crore in the 5-year cycle. Bundle B is for online streaming i.e. digital rights and the base price in this category is Rs 33 crore per game. In a 5-year frame, the sum will henceforth touch the Rs 12,210 crore mark. In Bundle C, the BCCI has introduced a special exclusive package where the telecasting rights for a total of 18 matches will be up for bidding. The 18 matches will include the season opener, night matches in doubleheaders, playoffs, and the summit clash.
“The Digital package is a leap of faith for entities with deep pockets. At about 66 per cent of TV rights value, the base price value may worry some. Especially with geo-blocking not being as effective as before, with VPNs abounding which may lead to subscriber price arbitrage. Ad revenues on digital also are unlikely to be 66 per cent of TV,”
Harish Thawani, the ex-CEO of Nimbus stated
A whopping sum of Rs 16 crore per match is set under this category, and the combined value of the reserve price is Rs 1440 crore in 5 years. The last category is for the broadcasting (both digital and television) rights in the rest of the world. Per match price in this package amounts to Rs 3 crore which in turn, therefore cumulates to Rs 1110 crore in a 5-year cycle.
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IPL Media Rights Auction: A closer look
| Bundles | Rights for | Base Price per match | Cumulative figure in 5-year frame |
| Bundle A | Indian subcontinent TV rights | Rs 49 crore /USD 6.4 million | Rs 18,130 crore |
| Bundle B | Indian subcontinent digital rights | Rs 33 crore /USD 4.4 million | Rs 12,210 crore |
| Bundle C | Digital rights for select matches(OTT) | Rs 16 crore /USD 2 million | Rs 1440 crore |
| Bundle D | Rest of the world TV and digital rights | Rs 3 crore /USD 400,000 | Rs 1110 crore |
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