The Board of Control for Cricket in India has changed the tendering format for the next set of rights to the Indian Premier League Twenty20 competition to allow a “consolidated bid” for all packages, according to the Times of India.
The newspaper, citing multiple sources, said the BCCI has made the move via answers to questions posed by potential bidders for the rights. The tender was launched on September 19, with the BCCI accepting bids for the rights through to October 25.
The packages on offer include television rights in the Indian subcontinent for 10 years, from 2018 to 2027, digital rights in the Indian subcontinent over five years, from 2018 to 2022, and media rights for the same five-year period for the rest of the world.
The Times said that from the earlier requirement of separate bids for each set of rights on offer, the BCCI will now allow a consolidated bid for all rights, putting television broadcasters in a strong position to secure all packages.
The BCCI had informed the IPL’s current rights-holder, Sony Pictures Networks India, that it would launch an open tender process in an effort to demonstrate transparency in its operations, with the governing body under substantial pressure to implement major reforms in its governance. Pay-television broadcaster Star India holds the digital and overseas rights, except in the UK and the US.
The news comes as social media platform Twitter confirmed to the Economic Times newspaper that it is bidding for the digital rights to the IPL.
“We are constantly evaluating opportunities around the world to transform the live sports experiences for fans in partnership with our most valued global sports partners and this IPL tender purchase is representative of that,” Aneesh Madani, head of sports partnerships at Twitter India, said.
The ET added 16 companies, including Star India, Sony Pictures Networks India, Zee Entertainment Enterprises, Amazon India, Reliance Jio, ESPN, and a host of international broadcasters, have picked up the tender documents.