In India, Sony Pictures Network has held the broadcast rights since the inception of the IPL in 2008.
Come 2018, the cash-rich BCCI-organised cricket competition in India will see a new set of digital and broadcast partners. That pits Star India and Sony Pictures Network India (SPNI) in a level playing field. Even reports claim that these two are frontrunners to bag the IPL broadcast rights.
Question is who wins in the end.
The submissions of the Invitation To Tender (ITT), made available for purchase by the BCCI, is scheduled for September 1.
Dish doesn't want Star
Dish TV, one of India's biggest Direct-to-home (DTH) operators, meanwhile has shot a letter to the BCCI, the Committee of Administrators, the Competition Commission of India, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India as well as the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, reasoning why Star India should not get the rights, when the bid documents are opened.
Auditors Deloitte and legal firm Amarchand Mangaldas will look into the tenders.
Jawahar Goel, the chairman and managing director of Dish TV, argued that the consumers stand to lose a hefty pocket money if Star TV are given the IPL broadcast rights, starting 2018.
"The cost for the consumers is likely to increase manifold because of the creation of 'sole supplier' monopoly in the market," wrote Goel.
Possible monopoly in sports broadcasting business
Goel mentions that a possible monopoly situation would not only lead to cricket fans paying more for subscriptions but also pressurise the DTH service operators to shell out exorbitant rates to acquire the channels.
"STAR is aiming to acquire the IPL cricket telecast rights also and thereby attain the status of 'sole holder' of the telecast rights of all the major cricketing events," continued Goel in the letter, accessed by Indian Express.
Read the full contents of the letter
"The history of the media industry is witness to the fact that all the actions initiated by STAR till date have always been to economically concentrate the power through acquisition of cricket broadcast rights and thereby create a monopoly in the market to gain huge commercial advantage at the expense of the consumers and the distribution industry.
"Such a situation would not only be anti-competitive but also anti-consumers."
Features of the IPL media rights
- The broadcast rights for the Indian subcontinent is valid for 10 seasons -- from 2018 to 2027.
- The IPL digital rights are valid for five seasons -- from 2018 to 2022.
- The international media rights are valid for five seasons -- from 2018 to 2022.
The BCCI, reportedly, is willing to accept a "consolidated bid" from the TV broadcasters, where they need to put forward a one-bid figure for all three rights packages.
Companies currently in fray
Star India Pvt Ltd, Sony Pictures Networks India Pvt Ltd, Amazon Seller Services Pvt Ltd, Reliance Jio Digital, Yahoo, Followon Interactive Media, Times Internet Ltd, Gulf DTH, SuperSport International, GroupM Media India, beIN IP, Econet Media Group, Sky UK, ESPN Digital Media, BTG Legal Service, BT Sport, Twitter, Facebook, Discovery, Airtel, Yahoo, DAZN Perform Group.
