UK pay-television broadcaster Sky confirmed on Tuesday that it will not broadcast the 2019 edition of the Indian Premier League Twenty20 cricket tournament. Global IPL rights-holder Star India will now exploit this year’s IPL rights in the UK through its own Hotstar OTT platform.
Sky had announced last March a “multi-year” agreement with Star India for UK rights. SportBusiness Media had understood the deal would run till the 2022 tournament.
Star India acquired global rights to the IPL in September 2017 in a five-year deal, from 2018 to 2022.
The IPL begins on March 23.
Hotstar is owned by Novi Digital Entertainment, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Star India. It is available online and via the Roku smart TV, Apple TV, Amazon’s Fire TV, and Chromecast.