IPL media rights: Package D sold even as bidding war goes on for package C

Package C includes rights for the opening game, final match, three play-offs and weekend double headers, a total of 18-20 of the best matches of each season for the next five years

The auction for the overseas media rights of the Indian Premier League (IPL), bunched under package D, has been completed, informed sources say. This package had Zee vying for it, given its presence in international markets. However, the winner's name will be revealed once the e-auction process concludes.

Attention now is on the digital rights of a special group of matches called package C. This group includes the opening game, final match, three play-offs and weekend double headers, a total of 18-20 of the best matches each season for the next five years.

Informed sources said that Disney-Star and Viacom18, the respective winners of the TV and digital rights on Monday, have also set their sights on acquiring these rights. The bid price per match has surpassed the Rs 27-crore-mark, a premium of nearly 69 per cent over the base price of Rs 16 crore per match.

On Monday, bidding for package C, which began in the evening, crossed Rs 18 crore per match, ensuring a minimum of Rs 1,700 crore would come into the kitty of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which is organising the e-auction. The base price for this group is Rs 16 crore per match.

At the current rate, at least Rs 2,600 crore has been ensured, though this number could go up as the bidding continues. The reason for this is the need for Disney-Star to acquire some digital rights - it currently has only television rights for the 2023-27 cycle. At the same time, Viacom18 is keen to ensure that it controls all digital rights during the T20 tournament.

On Monday, Viacom18 picked up the digital rights for the Indian sub-continent, package B, for Rs 20,500 crore, a premium of nearly 70 per cent over the base price. Viacom18's winning bid translates into a per-match value of Rs 50 crore.

On the other hand, Disney-Star put in a total bid of Rs 23,575 crore for the television rights, which is a premium of 30 per cent over the base price, which translates into a per-match value of Rs 57.5 crore.