Star India, the leading sports broadcaster in India, won the global media broadcast and digital rights to VIVO Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket matches on Monday. With a global consolidated bid of 16,347.5 crore ($2.55 billion), Star secured global rights to IPL from 2018 to 2022.
“We are honoured to be selected as IPL’s Global Media Rights Partner and we thank BCCI for conducting such a transparent process,” said Uday Shankar, Chairman and CEO of Star. “The VIVO Indian Premier League is undoubtedly one of the most exciting sporting leagues in the world and this acquisition of media rights reaffirms our commitment to serve cricket fans and make cricket even bigger than it is. We are delighted that in Star, IPL has found its natural home. We look forward to bringing this exciting format to our audiences across the world in a quality that all our viewers are accustomed to both on television as well as on digital on Hotstar.”
Uday added that winning the IPL rights underscores a broader commitment: “At Star India, we believe that Indian sports have barely scratched the surface of its potential. Both the viewership of sports and more importantly participation in sports is something that we would like to grow substantially over the next few years. The acquisition of these rights is symbolic of our commitment to not just cricket but to the growth of a wider sports culture in the country.”
Star won the media broadcast and digital rights by way of an invitation to tender (ITT) bidding process, during which 14 bids were received.
