Broadcasting giants, Viacom 18 have won the rights to broadcast the Women's Indian Premier League (WIPL) after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Jay Shah announced. The deal will see Viacom broadcast the WIPL for five years and have paid a staggering sum of Rs 951 crores. As things stand, the value of one WIPL match rates at more than Rs 7 crore.
BCCI secretary took to twitter to inform about the development. Also, the Indian Board has also released an official statement, detailing the development. "The BCCI is pleased to announce Viacom18 Media Private Limited as the successful bidder of Media Rights for the Women’s Indian Premier League (WIPL) Seasons 2023-2027," BCCI wrote in the statement.
"Congratulations viacom18 for winning the Women’s IPL media rights. Thank you for your faith in BCCI and BCCIWomen. Viacom has committed INR 951 crores which means per match value of INR 7.09 crores for the next 5 years (2023-27). This is massive for Women’s Cricket," read a tweet from BCCI secretary Jay Shah.
Rs 7 Crore per WIPL match
The staggering deal sees BCCI receive Rs 7 crore per match which for a women's game is a big sum. Earlier, the Indian Premier League had its broadcasting deals sold to Star Network and Viacom. The per-match valuation of an IPL match from the upcoming season will start is valued at Rs 118 crore. The deal represents a major step in the women's game as it could help set up and develop the game.
BCCI's policy to sell Broadcasting rights
The BCCI adopted a closed-bid auction method for the day-long event and announced the winner on Monday (January 16). Eight bidders had bought the tender document which was put on sale in December. The rights, spanning a five-year period between 2023-27, comprised three categories: linear (TV), digital and combined (TV and digital). The rights were sold globally, including in India.
The BCCI decided not to set a base price as it wanted the market to determine its value considering the WIPL is an untapped territory. This is in contrast to the process it adopted when it sold the media rights for the men's IPL last year for a record net sum of close to US$ 6 billion.
WIPL franchises to be unveiled on 25 January
The BCCI will unveil the five WIPL franchises on January 25. The financial bids of these franchises, currently submitted in sealed envelopes, will be opened on that day. The BCCI has listed 10 cities in the bid document. So far, at least eight of the 10 men's IPL franchises have confirmed they would be bidding for a franchise.
