Star Group bags BCCI's TV rights for six years

In tie-up with ESPNCricinfo, it has bagged the composite global media rights that includes television, Internet and mobile, starting July 2012 to March 2018. The six-year contract is valued at Rs 3,851 crore ($750 million)

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Delhi | April 2, 2012

The Star Group edged out Multi Screen Media (Sony Entertainment Television) to bag the six-year broadcast and digital rights for BCCI controlled cricket in India. In tie-up with ESPNCricinfo, it bagged the composite global media rights that included television, Internet and mobile, starting July 2012 to March 2018.

The Star Group's six-year contract is valued at Rs 3,851 crore ($750 million) and will cover 96 international matches involving the Indian cricket team.

Multi Screen Media, which owns the telecast rights of the Indian Premier League (IPL), was banking on the BCCI rights to enable it to launch a dedicated sport channel.

They will pay Rs 40 crore ($7.86 million) for each international match, significantly more than -- Rs 32.5 crore ($6.38 million) -- what Nimbus paid. MSM was the second highest bidder offering Rs 3,700 crore.

The rights were with Nimbus but it was scrapped last year after the broadcaster defaulted in payments.

"BCCI is very happy with the deal. Now the media rights have been fully evaluated and fully priced with Star coming out with such a deal," BCCI President N Srinivasan told reporters at a press conference in Chennai. He added that a “transparent process of verifying the eligibility of each bidder was followed and the winner chosen".

Star India CEO Uday Shankar said after winning the mega deal, “BCCI is a great property and we are overjoyed to have an opportunity to develop it further. It was decided amongst ESPN Star Sports, ESPN and Star that Star would bid for the rights, and if Star were to win the rights, it would be exploited in collaboration with ESS.”

He added, “In association with ESPN, we are confident of giving great coverage to Indian cricket. We already have the channels. If there is a need to open another channel, we can always explore it."

ESPN-Star (ESS) also owns the telecast rights of all International Cricket Council (ICC) events and the rights of domestic cricket in England and Australia.

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