IPL TV & digital rights sold for Rs 44,075 crore

BCCI sold Packages ‘A’ and ‘B’ of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to two separate bidders on Day Two of the e-auction on Monday. Package ‘B’ – Digital (India) – was bought by the Viacom18-led JV while the bidder that got Package ‘A’ was kept under wraps and will be revealed on Tuesday. AS IT HAPPENED: IPL MEDIA RIGHTS AUCTIONFor a total of 410 matches, and at a base price of Rs 49 crore per match on television and Rs 33 crore per match on digital, the two packages allowed the cricket board to rake in Rs 44,075 crore. By the time Day Two concluded, bidding was on for Package ‘C’ – set of 18 non-exclusive matches including the three playoffs and the final (digital) – and Package ‘D’, which is the Rest of the World. The day closed with three bidders – the identities are under wraps – gunning for Package ‘C’ at a base price of Rs 16 crore per match for a set of 98 matches and the bidding was on at Rs 18. 75 crore. As for the rest of the world, Viacom has bagged the Australia and European territories while bidding is on for the remaining ones.

The present value of rights has already gone past Rs 46,000 crore and those tracking developments expect Package ‘C’ to drive the total value close to the Rs 50,000 mark. The final results of the e-auction are expected to come out on Tuesday. “The bidding for Package ‘C’ will be heavy because the set of 18 matches, even if non-exclusive, include the three playoffs and the grand final every season alongside the evening matches on weekends, during double headers. The bidder that won Package ‘B’ for digital will not let go Package ‘C’. So expect a very tough fight,” say those tracking developments. Disney+Hotstar was expected to make a bigger pitch for digital, while going strong for