Star India pays over €2bn for IPL TV rights
September 4, 2017
Star India has agreed to pay 163.48 billion rupees (€2.15bn) for the TV and digital rights to Indian Premier League for the next five years, the country’s cricket board has confirmed.
Sony, the only other bidder for the TV rights, offered 110.5 billion rupees but lost out to Star’s consolidated offer for the global rights from 2018 to 2022. It means that, for the first time, the broadcast rights for a single IPL match are worth more than an India home international.
“We believe the IPL is a very powerful property, and we believe there is lots more value that can be created for fans of cricket on digital and TV,” commented Star India chief executive Uday Shankar. “India, cricket and IPL have changed dramatically since 2008, and this bid is a reflection of that.”