 "IPL media rights estimates, Arun Dhumal")
Indian Premier League (IPL) is getting richer with every season and IPL chairman Arun Dhumal believes that the media rights value of the world's biggest cricket league has the potential to cross $50 billion in next two decades.
While speaking at RCB Innovation Lab's Leaders Meet in Bengaluru, Dhumal said, "If I have to see how it has gone over the last 15 years and if I have to go by estimates going forward, we are expecting media rights to go somewhere close to $50 billion by around 2043."
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"Going forward, we need to keep innovating, keep doing better in terms of fan engagement, and keep making it better in terms of the quality of games," the IPL chairman said.
IPL media rights' current value
IPL became the second-richest sports league in the world after Star Sports and Viacom 18 bagged the media rights in 2023 for five years. BCCI fetched a whopping Rs 48,390 crore ($6.20 billion) through IPL media rights for a five-year period last year.
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America's National Football League (NFL) is believed to rake in an average $36 million per game after its 11-year deal (2022-2033) worth an estimated $113 billion, signed in 2021.
| Sports league | Media rights value per match |
| National Football League (NFL) | $36 million |
| Indian Premier League (IPL) | $13.82 million |
| English Premier League (EPL) | $11 million |
| Major League Baseball (MLB) | $9.57 million |
| National Basketball Association (NBA) | $2.12 million |
Dhumal termed franchisees' fans' engagement a big reason behind the IPL's reputation around the ground.
"We have seen at the recently held World Cup games, that they (fans) were there for Team India, but at the same time, they were rooting for RCB also, which is a great thing and we are very proud of that. Personally, I feel IPL is the best Make in India brand we can think of post-independence."
Olympics inclusion and WPL to boost cricket: Dhumal
Dhumal also said that cricket would get a major boost after being included in the Olympics.
"Now that cricket is becoming part of the Olympics and with the Women's Premier League taking it to a different level for women's cricket, I see a lot of hope and light at the end of the tunnel. Because of the way it has been happening for the last 15 years, it will only get better,” he said.
Cricket will be part of the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 and it would be for the first time since 1900 that cricket is going to be a medal event in World's biggest sporting event.
