ZEE Ent signs licensing pact with Disney Star for ICC Men's TV rights

Disney Star has sublicensed the ICC Men's TV rights to rival broadcaster ZEE for an undisclosed amount for four years; Disney Star had bid $3 bn for the combined TV and digital rights

ZEE Entertainment and Disney Star on Tuesday said they signed a strategic licensing agreement for exclusive TV rights of ICC Men’s cricket tournaments.

As part of the agreement, Disney Star will license the television broadcasting rights of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Men’s and Under 19 (U-19) global events for a period of four years (2024-2027) for an undisclosed amount to ZEE. 

Disney Star will continue to be the exclusive home for streaming of all ICC tournaments through its digital platform - Disney+ Hotstar. ICC has in-principle approved this arrangement

This association enables ZEE to be the exclusive television host of ICC tournaments, including the Men’s T20 World Cup (2024, 2026), Champions Trophy (2025), and One Day International World Cup (2027) along with key U-19 tournaments.

Punit Goenka, MD & CEO, ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. said: "This is a first-of-its-kind partnership in the Indian media & entertainment landscape, and this association with Disney Star reflects our sharp, strategic vision for the sports business in India. As a one-stop television destination for ICC men's cricket events until 2027, ZEE will leverage the strength of its network to offer a compelling experience for its viewers and a great return on investment for its advertisers. Long-term profitability and value-generation continue to be our areas of focus across the business, and we will always evaluate all the necessary steps that will enable us to make sports a compelling value proposition for the company."

Disney Star had last week retained the rights to telecast International Cricket Council (ICC) tournaments till 2027 for $3 billion.

The network won the closed-loop bid process after beating rivals. 

The deal includes both digital and television rights for men's and women's ICC tournaments. It is a big plus for Disney Star, which had lost the digital rights of the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the 2023-27 cycle to Viacom18 in June.

Disney Star had retained the television rights of the IPL for Rs 23,575 crore, whereas the digital rights were picked up by Viacom18 for Rs 20,500 crore.

The extension of the ICC rights adds to the company's portfolio of cricket properties, which include the television rights for Indian Premier League (2023-27), digital rights to Cricket Australia (2024-31), BCCI broadcast rights through the 2024 and Cricket South Africa (end of 2023-24 season).

In addition to cricket, Disney Star also offers Pro Kabbadi League, Indian Super League and various international rights, including the Wimbledon Championships and the English Premier League.