ICC announces cricket’s biggest-ever global broadcast agreement with Star India and Star Middle East

N Srinivasan

The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced cricket’s biggest-ever global broadcast partnership by jointly awarding its audio-visual rights for ICC Events from 2015 to 2023 to Star India and Star Middle East.

The decision was made by the ICC Business Corporation (IBC) Board, ICC’s commercial arm, during a meeting at the ICC headquarters in Dubai on Sunday. The decision followed a robust tender, bidding and evaluation process, which started in July 2014. During the process, which involved two rounds of bidding, the ICC received 17 competitive bids from various broadcasters across different territories for its audio-visual rights.

While the final value of the rights fee agreed will not be disclosed, it is significantly in excess of the ICC’s previous commercial deals.

The current cycle has seen ESPN Star Sports hold the audio-visual rights until the contract expires at the end of next year’s ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.

Included in the new eight-year period are 18 ICC tournaments*, including two ICC Cricket World Cups (2019 and 2023), two ICC Champions Trophy tournaments (2017 and 2021) and two ICC World Twenty20 tournaments (2016 and 2020).

Commenting on the decision to name Star India and Star Middle East as its successful bidders, ICC Chairman Mr N. Srinivasan said: “We are delighted that our partnership with the Star group has extended to the next cycle of ICC Events. This illustrates the strong relationship we have built in the current cycle and the value we have delivered since 2007.

“Star has an outstanding reputation as a sports broadcaster and has played an integral role in promoting and growing the game by taking coverage of ICC Events to a truly global and record-breaking audience, and we look forward to this continuing for another eight years.

“This commitment for the next eight years will ensure greater stability for ICC Members as well as increased funding for developing and established countries. Emerging nations will have access to the largest funding resource in the history of the game and the Board has fully endorsed this framework as the best means of safeguarding the future of the sport.

“The level of investment committed by Star shows that the game is stronger than ever before and hopefully with this financial stability for the next eight years, we can implement plans to strengthen and grow the game further, making it an even bigger and better global game.”

Mr Giles Clarke, Chairman of IBC’s Finance and Commercial Affairs Committee, said: “This innovative and exciting partnership will underpin the long-term financial health of the global game and provide real stability for all our Members. It will help the ICC and our Members to grow participation in areas such as the women’s game where there have been great strides made as well as supporting the emerging nations. This deal benefits all ICC Members and will allow them to improve their competitiveness and public interest in a targeted and sustainable way.

“This is a momentous day for world cricket which highlights the great commercial attractiveness of our sport and the ever increasing levels of interest in our outstanding world-class events.

“The partnership will also guarantee increased promotion and marketing of the game in key markets across the globe.”

ICC Chief Executive David Richardson said: “This agreement guarantees more money for all our Members, thereby underpinning the growth and development of the game.

“Star has been an excellent partner for the ICC during the current rights cycle, promoting and supporting ICC Events and cricket in general in the sub-continent, and I am pleased that we now have a chance to build on that success over the next eight years on a global level.”

Mr Uday Shankar, CEO, Star India, said: “We are delighted and honoured to extend our partnership with ICC. This is a tribute to Star's commitment and ICC's trust in our ability to take the great game of cricket to the next level. Star will constantly attempt to reinvent the viewer experience to make cricket bigger and bigger.”

About Star India:

Star India is one of India’s largest media and entertainment companies and is a fully owned subsidiary of 21st Century Fox, INC.

The Star group has defined India’s broadcast media over two decades and today broadcasts more than forty channels in seven languages, reaching more than 650 million viewers every week across India and around 100 other countries.

About Star Middle East:

Star Middle East is a wholly owned subsidiary of 21st Century Fox, INC. in the Middle East. It distributes 13 satellite cable television channels in the Middle East and Africa.

ICC Events 2015-2023

*The following ICC Events are included in the audio-visual rights packages:

ICC major global events:

ICC World Twenty20 2016 - India

ICC Champions Trophy 2017 - England and Wales

ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 - England and Wales

ICC World Twenty20 2020 - Australia

ICC Champions Trophy 2021 - India

ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 - India

ICC qualifying events:

ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2015 - Ireland and Scotland

ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2018 - Bangladesh

ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2019 – TBC

ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2022 - Zimbabwe

Other ICC events:

ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2016 - Bangladesh

ICC Women’s World Cup 2017 - England and Wales

ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2018 - New Zealand

ICC Women’s World Twenty20 2018 - West Indies

ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2020 - South Africa

ICC Women’s World Cup 2021 - New Zealand

ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2022 - West Indies

ICC Women’s World Twenty20 2022 - South Africa

The agreement with Star India and Star Middle East does not include host broadcast production rights, which the ICC has decided to reserve along with a host of other rights. The sales process for ICC’s reserved rights will be announced in due course.