Series Against Australia, England Among Top Draws In India Bilateral Media Rights Bid: Report

Almost half of the international matches coming under the India bilateral media rights bid, whose tender was released on August 2, will be contested against Australia and England in the cycle from September 2023 to March 2027. As per a report in Cricbuzz, out of the 88 games that India are scheduled to play at home in the matches coming under the upcoming broadcast cycle, 39 matches will be against Australia and New Zealand. The India media rights broadcast cycle, also including the domestic calendar, commences with eight matches against Australia - three ODIs in September and five T20Is in November this year.

The three ODIs are before 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup starting from October 5, while the five T20Is will happen after the mega event concludes on November 19.

The report added that Australia will come to India for five Tests in January-March 2027, as well as three ODIs and five T20Is in November-December of that year. On the other hand, England will be coming to play five Tests against India from January 25 to March 11, venues of which are Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Rajkot, Ranchi and Dharamshala.

They make a return to India 12 months later to participate in eight white ball matches - three ODIs and five T20Is in January and February of 2025. The broadcast cycle concludes with England playing five Tests in India in January to March of 2028.

"A significant portion of the games against Australia and England is a positive aspect, and their distribution throughout the cycle is well-managed. However, the challenge arises with the timing of the eight Australia games, which are positioned just before or immediately after the World Cup."

"Monetizing these matches might prove challenging, as corporates typically allocate funds for the World Cup or might have already exhausted their budgets. That's the tricky part," a broadcaster involved in the bidding process was quoted as saying in the report.

Sri Lanka will be playing only one series in India in December 2026, consisting of three ODIs and an equal number of T20Is, with no Tests. Afghanistan are slated to play one Test and three ODIs in June 2026, apart from playing three T20Is in India on January 11, 14, and 17 in Mohali, Indore, and Bengaluru.

The report added that South Africa will play two Tests, three ODIs, and five T20Is in India November and December 2025. New Zealand will come to India to play three Tests and eight white ball matches in the latter half of 2024 and early 2026, respectively.

"This is a robust offering, with 60 out of the 88 games featuring competition against top-tier teams. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is not aiming for excessively high value. The relatively modest base prices (Rs 20 crore for India TV and Rs 25 crore for digital and global packages) provide the rationale for this," an industry insider was quoted as saying in the report.

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Meanwhile, the report added that the BCCI is seeking a base price of INR 2.4 crores for the title rights bid for the next three years. The previous title rights holder, Mastercard, which had been sub-licensed by Paytm in July 2022, had been paying INR 3.8 crores per game. It added that the rights are expected to be awarded later this month.