Disney Star bag ICC media rights in India for next four years

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Dubai, August 28: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Saturday (August 27) confirmed Disney Star will be the home of all ICC cricket in India for the next four years having bagged the TV and digital rights to both men's and women's global events through to the end of 2027.

The ICC said Disney Star won the media rights following a single-round sealed bid process which has yielded a significant uplift to the rights fee from the previous cycle continuing the impressive growth and reach of cricket.

The decision followed a robust tender, bidding and evaluation process, which started in June 2022.

"We are delighted to continue to partner with Disney Star as the home of ICC cricket for the next four years which has delivered an outstanding result for our members and will support our ambitious growth plans. They will play a crucial role in the future of our sport and connecting and engaging with more fans than ever before," ICC Chair Greg Barclay said in a statement.

"Having a broadcast and digital partner for women's events in India is a significant step forward in our ambition to accelerate the growth of the women's game. Disney Star presented impressive plans for the promotion of women's cricket and they clearly share our vision so I'm incredibly excited by the size of the opportunity ahead," he added.

"This was an incredibly competitive process, which isn't surprising given the huge audiences that cricket consistently attracts with more than a billion fans that passionately follow the game globally. I'd like to thank all of the bidders for their interest in and support of cricket," Barclay further added.

Meanwhile, K Madhavan, the Country Manager and President of Disney Star said the company is looking forward to strengthen their partnership with ICC.

"We are delighted at being able to continue our association with the International Cricket Council (ICC) and look forward to strengthening our partnership by growing the sport of cricket in the years ahead," Madhavan said.

"With the acquisition of the ICC Digital and TV broadcast rights, Disney Star has further strengthened its status as the premier destination for marquee cricket events in the country."

According to reports, Disney Star faced stiff challenge from Viacom18, Sony and Zee, who all put in sizeable bids but Star's was significantly higher and a second round was not needed. However, the value of the bid is still unknown with ICC having set the base price at $1.44 billion for a four year agreement.

Star had previously held rights for eight-year cycles in 2007 and 2015, but opted for a four-year deal this time around.

(With Agency inputs)