Viacom 18, a joint venture between the Reliance Industry-owned Network 18 Group and Paramount Global, has secured the media rights for India’s home cricket matches for the next five years, starting from September 2023 to March 2028. The deal is worth approximately Rs 6000 crore, which translates to Rs 67.8 crore per game.

The company will broadcast 88 games over the next five years, including Tests, ODIs and T20Is, featuring teams like Australia, England, South Africa and New Zealand. The agreement begins with a three-match ODI series against Australia at the end of September 2023.

Viacom 18 has emerged as the winner of the BCCI media rights auction, beating the likes of Star India and Sony Pictures Networks India, who had previously held the rights for the 2018-23 cycle. Star India had paid Rs 6138 crore for the television and digital rights for that period.

Viacom 18 has also bagged the digital rights of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and linear and digital properties of Women’s Premier League (WPL), creating a near monopoly in the cricket broadcasting market.

Jay Shah, secretary of BCCI, congratulated Viacom 18 on Twitter and thanked Star India for their support over the years. He wrote: “Congratulations Viacom18 for winning the @BCCI Media Rights for both linear and digital for the next 5 years. India Cricket will continue to grow in both spaces as after @IPL and wplt20 we extend the partnership @BCCI Media Rights as well. Together we will continue to capture the imagination of cricket fans.”

He also added: “Also a big thank you to @starindia @DisneyPlusHS for your support over the years. You played a key role in making India Cricket reach its fans across the globe.”

Viacom 18 is expected to provide high-quality coverage of India’s home cricket matches across its platforms, such as Colors, MTV, Voot and Jio TV. The company has also expressed its intention to invest in enhancing the fan experience and creating innovative content around cricket.

With this deal, Viacom 18 has established itself as a major player in the sports broadcasting industry, giving tough competition to other networks. Cricket fans can look forward to enjoying more exciting and engaging cricket action from their favourite teams and players in the coming years.