Broadcaster Viacom18 bags Women's IPL five-year media rights for Rs 951 cr

Attention shifts to auction for five teams in the Women's IPL on January 25; bids accepted till Jan 23

Reliance-backed Viacom18 has secured the Women’s Indian Premier League (WIPL) media rights for five years (2023-27) at an auction on Monday. 

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Jay Shah tweeted that Viacom18  had committed ~951 crore for five years, translating into a per-match value of Rs 7.09 crore.

Disney Star was the other broadcaster to place a bid, said executives at the cricketing body.

However, Disney Star’s bid amount could not be ascertained immediately. Sony-Zee opted to stay out of Monday’s auction.

In an official statement, BCCI President Roger Binny said women’s cricket has been on a strong wicket these past few years.

“It was only apt to get our own ladies Twenty20 league and give fans more of women’s cricket,” he said.

There will be a total of 134 matches in the five-team WIPL over five years, with 22 matches each in the first three years. The number could touch 34 matches each in the final two years. BCCI is anticipating growth in WIPL over the next few years, said executives at the cricketing body.

While BCCI was eyeing Rs 1,100-1,250 crore from the sale of media rights for WIPL for five years, observed media experts, what has come in is 14-24 per cent lower in terms of total bid value (Rs 951 crore).

Sources said BCCI has settled for a lower figure since this is the first time the country will have a women’s edition of the IPL. The Big Bash League in Australia has both a men’s and women’s edition.

“The concept is new and the ecosystem around women’s IPL will take time to get built,” said Karan Taurani, senior vice-president-research at Mumbai-based brokerage Elara Capital.

“The good part is that with an IPL-style format in women’s cricket, brands will be interested in investing in the tournament, helping women’s cricket in the long run,” he said.

In 2008, when broadcaster Sony bagged the media rights for the men’s edition, it paid Rs 8,200 crore for 10 years (2008-17), said media experts. The per-match value back then was around Rs 15 crore. The media rights value subsequently doubled to Rs 16,347.5 crore between 2018 and 2022 when Disney Star picked up the media rights, with the per-match value pegged at Rs 55 crore.

At last year’s e-auction for the men’s IPL for 2023-27, the total value of media rights was nearly 3x the previous cycle’s value at Rs 48,390 crore, with the per-match value at Rs 118 crore.

Disney Star and Viacom18 had picked up the television and digital rights for Rs 23,575 crore and Rs 23,491 crore, respectively. Viacom18 and Times Internet had picked up the overseas rights for Rs 1,324 crore.

MEDIA RIGHTS PITCH: Women’s versus Men’s IPL

• WIPL media rights for 2023-27: Rs 951 crore
• Per-match value: Rs 7.09 crore
• Broadcaster: Viacom18
• Men’s IPL media rights for 2008-17: Rs 8,200 crore (Sony); per-match value: Rs 15 crore
• Men’s IPL media rights for 2018-22: Rs 16,347.5 crore (Disney Star); per-match value: Rs 55 crore
• Men’s IPL media rights for 2023-27: Rs 48,390 crore (Disney Star/Viacom18); per-match value: Rs 118 crore

Source: Industry