The Indian Premier League (IPL) has changed the face of Indian cricket and the lens through which the global audience looks at Indian cricket and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which is the apex body for Indian cricket. The brand value of IPL keeps increasing every single year. Its role in providing an impetus to the Indian economy cannot be underestimated. The endorsement deals, the sponsors, match tickets, and a myriad of other things contribute to the humongous brand value of IPL. But the broadcasting rights have always been the biggest assets of IPL. From Doordarshan being the sole broadcaster of Indian cricket in the 1990s, to Star Sports, Sony Sports, and now Reliance Industries and Amazon engaging in a tug of war for IPL rights – broadcasting of cricket in India has come a long way. There was a time when the BCCI had to pay money to the broadcasters to feature Indian cricket. And now billions of money get poured in by broadcasters from all over the globe to bag a deal with the BCCI. The humongous amounts of advertising revenues generated during IPL matches make the broadcasting companies flock towards striking lucrative deals with the apex body of Indian cricket. During the commencement of Indian cricket’s biggest extravaganza in 2008, BCCI had signed an agreement with Sony Pictures Network India for nine years. The agreement for the broadcasting rights was signed for a whopping Rs. 8,200 crores. The amount seemed to be quite staggering back then, but over the years, the amounts have only surged by massive margins. The primary reason why the broadcasting rights have become costlier with every passing year is that the BCCI has displayed good business acumen in its decision-making. Strategic timeouts have been included twice in a single T20 match (one in every innings) so that the advertisement time is increased to garner more revenue. The director in the Production Control Room (PCR) instructs the camerapersons to occasionally zoom into the sponsorship banners and posters, with the heightened exposure on television bringing in more sponsors, which in turn amounts to more money for the BCCI. In 2017, Star India expressed interest in buying the media rights of IPL. They were ready to shell out big bucks for the lucrative deal, ultimately bagging the broadcasting rights of IPL for a mind-boggling amount of Rs. 16,347.5 crores. This exponential increase in the money involved changed the dynamics of Indian cricket once again. It is significant to note that the deal was for five years only and not nine. Star India went over and above 13 other bidders in the process.
10 May 2022
Sayanta Sengupta
