IPL media rights: Can Zee and Sony live happily ever after?

Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd and Sony Pictures Network India (SPNI) was akin to a marriage, the buying of all or any cricket rights this year, will be the newlyweds' perfect honeymoon. That bit is a given. The chances of any such consummation though look easier said than done. If it must happen, the merged entities will have to break the proverbial sweat.

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The name 'Disney' has an ostentatious ring to it. Grand and celebratory. Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Cinderella. Even the company's logo is a 'castle'. Children have grown into adults thinking of it as larger-than-life.

Viacom is being courted by some well-to-do wooers. The Walt Disney Company is willing to break the bank. The anticipation of a suitor who may not have shown hand yet is in the air. The buying of Indian Premier League's (IPL) next rights cycle is not going to be an easy walk up the aisle. For Zee and Sony to belong in this race, they will have to not just cut a bigger cheque than the others but will have to do so bearing three most important aspects in mind: A) What is going to be their digital play going forward; B) To what extent can they bear a loss in order to gain traction; C) Will they prefer letting everything else go to bag the IPL or let the IPL go to bag everything else. Let's look at the three aspects separately. Digital play: For quite some time now, it has been spoken about in hushed tones how Amazon Prime was interested in 'dating' SPNI with a future-partnership in mind. But that was before September last year, when Zee gave in-principle approval for the merger and said it would be that knight in shining armor. Amazon had to