Disney Star* has bagged rights to broadcast all ICC events on a four-year deal from 2024 to 2027. The rights, widely seen as cricket’s second most lucrative, behind the IPL, are for the Indian market. Disney Star raised the highest bid for both TV and digital rights.
The bids had been opened on Friday and a clear winner was apparent then but the process required ratification by the ICC Board, which happened on Saturday. The ICC did not reveal how much Disney Star’s bid was worth, but it is expected to be higher than the $1.44 billion benchmark number set for four years by ICC.
Whatever the final figure, the rights will have generated a far greater value in this cycle than the last. The 2015-23 rights were also owned by Star and were bought for approximately USD$ 2.1 billion. But the market was substantially different when those rights were sold – that figure gave Star global rights and for both TV and digital.
More to follow…
*Disney Star and ESPNcricinfo are part of the Walt Disney Company.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo