"We were expecting this" - Sourav Ganguly on IPL's success in the media rights auction

BCCI President Sourav Ganguly claims the resounding success attained by the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the recently concluded media rights auction was expected. The competition managed to secure a series of bids amounting to ₹48,390 crore for the next five-year cycle.

Star Network and Viacom 18 placed successful bids to acquire the rights for Television and Digital Media rights respectively. The rights for overseas broadcasting were split between Viacom 18 and Times Internet.

The tournament saw a dip in viewership in 2022, recording numbers well below the previous two editions, which were conducted in a COVID-19-riddled situation. Despite the fall, Sourav Ganguly remained confident of a successful outing at the media rights auction. He said in an interview with Sportstar:

"There was no apprehension. We unbundled it to make sure that everybody remains in the game. We were expecting this (windfall)."

The introduction of two new franchises has added another dimension of intrigue to the tournament. Moreover, the home and away format is expected to return next season barring any crisis. Both these factors mean the competition is bound to reach new heights in the upcoming five-year cycle.

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"This sport is very healthy and there is no doubt about it" - Sourav Ganguly

The media rights for the IPL saw a huge rise from the previous cycle. A bid of ₹23,575 crore proved to be enough for Star India to retain the television broadcast rights.

The viability and future of the digital medium was on showcase at the auction as well. Viacom-18 secured the digital broadcasting rights for ₹23,758 crore, marginally more than the television rights.

Anticipating an instance where digital media would outbid television rights, Sourav Ganguly said:

"That’s the way the world is going. We all expected that the digital rights will be big, and we are not at all surprised. This sport is very healthy and there is no doubt about it."

The former captain concluded:

"You don’t think so far. You take it one year at a time and it’s about the format. Most importantly, it’s about the fans in this country who made the league so successful."

The future of the IPL, at a glimpse, could include a dedicated two-and-a-half-month window in the FTP cycle along with the prospect of overseas friendly matches.