No Bezos-Ambani face-off as Big Tech quits race for IPL broadcast rights

Amazon, Alphabet, Apple pull out of media rights auction; Disney-Star combine and RIL-led Viacom 18 emerge frontrunners

Global tech majors Amazon, Alphabet and Apple Inc on Friday dropped out of the race to bid for Indian Premier League (IPL) media rights, leaving the space to traditional broadcasters. With this, the auction starting Sunday is expected to see Disney-Star combine and Reliance Industries-led Viacom 18 at the centrestage of a keenly-watched sporting rights battle.

However, Sony and Zee, which are set to be merged by September, could be the dark horse, sources said. They were among the seven participants at the technical evaluation of the bids by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Friday.