The IPL media rights landscape is drawing scrutiny, as the Indian cricket board is seen as reluctant to pursue broader price discovery ahead of the upcoming IPL and home bilateral media rights tender. With roughly six months before the final IPL season of the 2023-27 cycle, major stakeholders worry that a lack of credible bidders beyond JioStar could depress true valuation and sap the competitive tension that has pushed the tournament’s rights higher for a decade.
That concern was underscored by media entrepreneur Uday Shankar, vice-chairman of JioStar, at a recent industry forum. He noted that a decade ago, several serious media companies would contest marquee sports properties, while today it often feels like a single player remains in the fray. He cautioned that the cost of rights has soared faster than the ability to monetise them, and that rights holders, broadcasters and platforms need a sustainable ecosystem.
Market observers say the troubling element is the absence of a clear Plan B for Indian cricket. JioStar is widely expected to bid aggressively for the IPL, given its subscription base’s reliance on cricket. What has puzzled many is the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s apparent difficulty in getting more participants to the table.
IPL media rights and the search for new bidders
Global tech and streaming platforms have intensified their engagement with sport in Western markets. YouTube’s transition into rights aggregation and bundling has become a notable industry model. The platform increasingly treats sport as the anchor of a wider pay-TV and subscription offering. Its seven-year pact for exclusive US distribution of NFL Sunday Ticket, reported at about $2 billion per season, serves both as a value-add for YouTube TV subscribers and as a standalone product on YouTube channels.
Analysts caution that average revenue per user in Western markets is far higher than in the subcontinent, which challenges the assumption that scale alone closes the gap. Even so, Indian cricket is viewed as the only property in the region compelling enough for a player like YouTube to consider testing the market.
Netflix has also signaled interest. Co-CEO Ted Sarandos recently said the streamer is open to live sports, including cricket, while clarifying it does not aim to become a conventional full-season sports broadcaster. If that approach holds, a tournament like the IPL could fit its model, given the storytelling potential of an India-first property that appeals to a billion-plus domestic viewers, a large global diaspora and markets where cricket functions as a notable soft-power export.
What BCCI must do next on IPL media rights
Industry leaders argue that, at some point, the numbers must align. For that to happen, they say the onus is on the federation to proactively market a high-value product. The IPL may be India’s premier prime-time asset, but assuming distant media players fully grasp the opportunity without direct engagement is risky.
Stakeholders contend the board needs to arrive at the tender with a clear marketing plan, one that places the IPL before dozens of plausible media, technology and streaming suitors worldwide. JioStar may be Plan A for the BCCI. The open question is whether there is a Plan B, or even a Plan C.
Similar questions about media rights value and competitive tension are also reshaping European football, as seen in Liverpool finalise Barcola deal as Premier League kicks off, where club strategies are closely tied to broadcast and streaming revenues.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India’s decisions will be watched closely by broadcasters, fans and regulators. For global streamers and domestic platforms alike, Indian cricket remains both a massive opportunity and a high-stakes gamble.