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Disney Star acquires ICC cricket rights in India through 2027

Kerry Flynn
Aug 29, 2022
Illustration of a cricket playing hitting a ball through a television screen

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Disney Star has acquired the TV and digital rights in India to International Cricket Council's games through 2027.

Why it matters: This deal for men's and women's games provides more incentive for cricket fans in India to subscribe to Disney's service, which is especially crucial after it lost out on the streaming rights for the Indian Premier League auction.

Details: The ICC said the deal was a single round, sealed bid process and did not reveal other suitors. The price was not disclosed, but ICC said it "yielded a significant uplift" to the prior deal.

  • Star also previously owned the global rights with an eight-year deal from 2015 to 2023 for about $2 billion.
  • "This was an incredibly competitive process, which isn't surprising given the huge audiences that cricket consistently attracts with more than a billion fans that passionately follow the game globally," ICC chair Greg Barclay said.

Of note: Disney Star secured a seven-year media rights deal with Cricket Australia last month.

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