ICC and JioStar deny reports of India rights uncertainty, say agreement remains in force

New Delhi: The International Cricket Council (ICC) and JioStar have issued a joint statement to counter recent media reports around the status of their India media rights agreement.

The ICC and JioStar said the reports “do not reflect” the position of either organisation, adding that the existing agreement “remains fully in force” and that JioStar continues as the ICC’s official media rights partner in India. 

The statement said any suggestion that JioStar has withdrawn from the agreement is incorrect, and that JioStar remains committed to honouring its contractual obligations “in letter and spirit”. 

The clarification follows recent reports that the broadcaster had signalled an inability to service the remaining period of a four-year deal, and that the ICC could explore a restructured sale process.

BestMediaInfo.com had also reported, citing highly placed sources, that Prasar Bharati was assessing the situation and could consider bidding if the ICC fragmented the India rights into smaller, more market-viable packages, including by tournament or by India-hosted versus overseas matches.

In a separate analysis, BestMediaInfo.com had flagged the broader stress in cricket rights economics, pointing to widening gaps between rights costs and realistic monetisation, and the risks this creates even for large broadcasters.

In their joint statement, ICC and JioStar said they remain focused on delivering “uninterrupted, world-class coverage” of upcoming ICC events in India, including the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, and said there is “no impact on viewers, advertisers, or industry partners”.

They added that, as long-term commercial partners, both sides remain in regular communication on operational, commercial and strategic matters linked to growing the sport.