The agreement between Disney Star and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) about Team India’s broadcast rights will soon end, and the governing body hasn’t decided what to do next. Officials are talking about possible ways to decide that right now, and e-auctions and closed bids are still the most popular choices.
Reports say that Roger Binny, who is in charge of the group, has talked to five agencies about how to sell the rights for the period from 2023 to 2027. One of them was Ernst and Young, one of the best agencies in the world. Another was KMPG, a name with which BCCI has worked before. Group M, a television sales company in Mumbai, is also thought to have been asked for advice.
KMPG was very important in helping BCCI get a huge deal when they sold the media rights to IPL.
On the other hand, Disney Star and Viacom18 are still the favorites to win this time. But the link between Zee and Sony network could also change the game. Notably, the two companies were supposed to join forces on January 1, but that date was pushed back to April 1. Later, it was moved to June 1, but so far nothing has happened. According to Cricbuzz, it could be done by August 1, and if that happens, they can compete with Disney Star and Viacom18.
But now it’s up to BCCI to decide when and how the whole process will happen. Closed deals seem to be the favorite right now because they helped the governing body make a lot of money when IPL media rights were sold. When it comes to e-auctions, the final price would only be 5% higher than the last price, but when it comes to closed bids, companies tend to go all out and spend a lot of money, which is what the board wants to take advantage of. The method worked well during the IPL, so BCCI may decide to use the same technique again.