Viacom18 will continue to exclusively telecast and stream the matches in India after acquiring the rights
New Delhi, NFAPost: Times Internet has acquired media rights for bilateral cricket matches played in India across key international markets, including North America, West Asia, and Southeast Asia, reported LiveMint.
The company has entered into an agreement with Pitch, a sports marketing agency based in the UK, for the BCCI rights, which were first sub-contracted by the global media rights winner Viacom18 Media Private Limited, a Reliance Industries subsidiary.
“Times Internet has expanded its leading cricket distribution positions in North America, the West Asia, and Southeast Asia regions, by acquiring the exclusive rights to broadcast India’s home bilateral series from September 2023 through March 2028,” Times Internet said.
This will allow Times Internet to distribute 88 bilateral cricket matches between India and other nations via Willow TV and Cricbuzz over the next five years.
Viacom18 will continue to exclusively telecast and stream the matches in India after acquiring the rights for five years for a total of Rs 5,963 crore.
“We are proud to partner with, as well as the BCCI again. Willow TV has a longstanding position as the home of cricket in the US. With our foray into West Asia, I’m confident that Cricbuzz and The Times of India Group will be able to bring a best-in-class consumer viewing experience to more cricket fans around the world,” Satyan Gajwani, vice-chairman of Times Internet, said.
Alongside the BCCI rights, Willow also distributes more than 10 other boards and tournaments, making Willow the leading cricket destination in North America.
In West Asia, Times Internet has the rights to distribute the IPL alongside the BCCI rights. Times had earlier partnered with Noon, Etisalat, and Cricbuzz to distribute the IPL in 2023, and will look to establish its distribution partnerships in the Middle East region further, the statement said.
This will be Cricbuzz’s first rights package in the Southeast market, and the rights will be distributed on its platforms as well as other distribution partnerships, it added.
