New Delhi: Days after the BCCI bagged a whopping amount of over Rs 48,000 crore for the Indian Premier League (IPL) media rights for the 2023-27 cycle, former IPL chairman Lalit Modi, in an exclusive interview said the IPL will become the No. 1 sports league in the world.
“Value of IPL media rights will double again in next cycle. The IPL will overtake NFL sooner than later and will become the No. 1 sports league in the world,” Modi said. Modi was the first chairman and commissioner of the IPL. He was instrumental in running the league from 2008 till 2010. He was also a vice-president of the BCCI from 2005–10.
Modi left India in 2010 amid allegations of tax evasion, money-laundering and proxy ownership and is based in London since the last few years. The Enforcement Directorate alleges he manipulated the process of assigning broadcast rights of the IPL in 2009, reportedly in exchange for a kickback of over 125 crores. At the IPL media rights e-auction Disney Star retained the TV telecast rights with a bid price of Rs 23,575 crore.
“I am thrilled to announce that STAR INDIA wins India TV rights with their bid of Rs 23,575 crores. The bid is a direct testimony to the BCCI’s organizational capabilities despite two pandemic years,” BCCI secretary Jay Shah wrote in a tweet. “Viacom18 bags digital rights with its winning bid of Rs 23,758 cr. India has seen a digital revolution & the sector has endless potential. The digital landscape has changed the way cricket is watched.
It has been a big factor in the growth of the game & the Digital India vision,” Shah confirmed in another tweet.Reliance’s Viacom18, won the rights for package C with a Rs 3,258 crore winning bid. As a result of this, Viacom, who also won the rights for Package B with a pay out of Rs 20,500 crore (Rs 50 crore per match for 410 matches), ended up paying Rs 23,758 crore for the entire bouquet of digital rights.