The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has made a move in its upcoming media rights auction by setting a higher base price for digital rights compared to TV rights. The overall base price has been reduced to Rs 45 crore per match, a drop from the previous Rs 61 crore per match paid by Disney Star in the last cycle.
It is worth noting that in the history of cricket, digital rights have never commanded a higher base price than TV rights. The latest tender released by the BCCI has set a base price of Rs 20 crore per match for Package A, which includes TV rights for the Indian subcontinent.
For Package B, which covers global digital rights and the rest of the world TV rights, the base price stands at Rs 25 crore per match.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) TV and digital rights for India were previously priced at Rs 49 crore and Rs 33 crore per match, respectively. Additionally, a special digital rights package that encompassed select IPL matches had a base price of Rs 16 crore per match, Economic Times reported.
Industry experts explained that the reduction in base price aims to encourage wider participation from various media companies, given the challenges faced in the market.