The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) released a media rights tender for India's international and domestic matches on Wednesday, August 2. The Indian cricket board has invited applicants to bid for the lucrative media rights for the 2023-2027 season and is likely to finalize new media partners prior to the bilateral ODI series against Australia at home next month.
Star India previously held media rights for the 2018-23 period. They splashed Rs 6138 crore, approximately Rs 60 crore per match, to live stream India's home matches on TV and online for the last five seasons.
In its statement released on Wednesday, the BCCI said that the Invitation To Tender (ITT) will be available for a non-refundable fee of Rs 15 lakh and the details of requirements and submission of bids are included in the ITT envelope.
"The tender process, including eligibility requirements, submission of bids, rights and obligations, etc., are outlined in the 'Invitation to Tender' ("ITT"), which will be provided upon payment of a non-refundable fee of INR 15,00,000 (Indian Rupees Fifteen Lakh Only), plus any applicable Goods and Services Tax," the BCCI said in its statement.
However, the BCCI also cleared that only purchasing ITT will not be enough to earn a right to bid and said that the parties that clear eligible criteria will be subject to other terms and conditions.
"Any interested party wishing to submit a bid must purchase the ITT. However, only those who meet the eligibility criteria outlined in the ITT and are subject to the other terms and conditions therein will be eligible to bid. It should be noted that simply purchasing the ITT does not grant any individual the right to bid. The BCCI reserves the right to cancel or modify the bidding process at any stage or in any manner without providing any reason," BCCI added.
Meanwhile, the BCCI is reportedly approaching the industry giants Amazon and Google to lure them to bid for the media rights next months. Disney Star and Sony Sports Network remain strong contenders along with Reliance-owned Viacom 18 Media to bid high in the auction. But the Roger Binny-led cricket board is expecting a tepid response from the traditional media giants and is expecting to approach international media partners.
