Disney Licenses ICC Cricket TV Broadcast Rights To India’s Zee
ZEE Entertainment Enterprises will be the only TV broadcaster for ICC men’s tournaments in India till 2027.
(Bloomberg) -- Disney Star has signed an agreement to license exclusive TV rights for International Cricket Council men’s matches to ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. for four years, according to a stock exchange filing by the Indian broadcaster.
The media conglomerate will be the only TV broadcaster for ICC men’s tournaments in India till 2027, while Disney+ Hotstar, Disney’s streaming platform in the country, will retain digital rights for the matches.
The agreement allows ZEE to broadcast all ICC men’s and under-19 global events including ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 and 2026, ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027.
“ZEE will leverage the strength of its network to offer a compelling experience for its viewers and a great return on investment for its advertisers,” Punit Goenka, chief executive officer and managing director at ZEE, said in the statement.
Earlier this year, Viacom18 Media Pvt., a joint venture between Paramount Global and Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries Ltd., won the streaming rights for the Indian Premier League, or IPL, cricket tournament away from previous rights holder Disney+ Hotstar. Disney grabbed the television rights.
Read more: Disney, Reliance Bid $6.2 Billion to Beam India Cricket
“By securing the IPL television broadcast rights for 2023-27 and now opting to retain only the digital rights for ICC tournaments for 2024-27, we have in place a balanced and robust cricket offering for our audiences,” K Madhavan, country manager and president, Disney Star said.
Read more: Disney Wins One After Losing One in India Cricket Bidding Wars
ZEE Entertainment’s stock rose 2.3% to close at 257.05 rupees in Mumbai on Tuesday.
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