The $1.5 billion International Cricket Council (ICC) TV rights deal between Disney Star and Zee Entertainment Enterprises hangs in the balance with the new media rights cycle set to kick off next month.
According to the Economic Times, the ICC TV deal, which was announced in August 2022, is yet to be concluded as Zee has not given the required bank guarantees to Disney Star.
In its FY23 annual report, Zee said that the acquisition of ICC TV rights is “subject to certain conditions precedent, including submitting financial commitments, guarantees, and ICC approval for sub-licensing to the firm, which is pending”.
The uncertain status of the ICC TV deal will be a key point of consideration during the due diligence and valuation exercises between Walt Disney and Reliance Industries (RIL) regarding the potential merger of Star India and Viacom18.
The ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2024, which will be held in South Africa from January 19 to February 11, will be the first tournament under the new media rights cycle. Disney Star acquired the ICC TV and digital rights for India from 2024 to 2027 for $3 billion and sub-licensed the TV rights for the men’s and Under-19 global events to Zee while retaining the digital rights.
MIB extends by 4 weeks ban on news channels’ TRP by BARC India
Reliance eyes LEO satellite play to rival Starlink in India: ET report
FIFA offered $20mn for WC’26 broadcast rights for India market
IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals get new owners in Mittals, Poonawalla
Netflix leads India’s 2025 theatrical streaming race: Ormax study
Network18 tops counting day with 2M+ peak YouTube viewers
‘Matka King’ S2 announced after strong global response on Prime Video
Prime Video to integrate MX Player into unified streaming platform
Raghav Raj Kodesia joins Netflix to lead Original Films and Acquisitions
Amagi launches in-content ad marketplace to expand CTV advertising push 

