Zee, Disney Ink Licensing Pact For Broadcasting ICC Men's World Cups, Champions Trophy
This association grants Zee exclusive television rights of T20 World Cup, Champions Trophy and the Cricket World Cup.
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. has signed a strategic licensing agreement with Disney Star for the broadcasting rights of men’s cricket events by the International Cricket Council.
Disney Star will license the television broadcasting rights of the ICC men’s and under-19 global events to Zee for a period of four years, according to a statement. ICC has given its in-principle approval to the arrangement.
Disney Star will continue to hold the exclusive streaming rights for all ICC tournaments through its digital platform Disney+ Hotstar.
This association grants Zee exclusive television broadcasting rights of flagship events including ICC Men’s T20 World Cup (2024, 2026), ICC Men’s Champions Trophy (2025), and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup (2027) along with key under-19 events.
“As a one-stop television destination for ICC men’s cricket events until 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,” said Punit Goenka, managing director and chief executive officer at Zee Entertainment.
“Long-term profitability and value-generation continue to be our areas of focus across the business, and we will always evaluate all the necessary steps that will enable us to make sports a compelling value proposition for the company,” Goenka said.
K. Madhavan, country manager and president at Disney Star, said, “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 across linear and digital.”
“Over the years, Disney Star has strengthened the appeal of international cricket in India, enabling it to reach diverse age groups and cultural demographics across all parts of the country. As India’s leading media house, we will continue to do so with our strong portfolio of cricket properties across television and digital,” Madhavan said.
Last Sunday, ICC awarded Disney Star all TV and digital rights to its global tournaments for men and women for four years through to the end of 2027.
Disney Star won after a single round sealed bid process which has yielded a significant uplift to the rights fee from the previous cycle continuing the impressive growth and reach of cricket, the international cricket governing body had said. The authority did not divulge the details regarding the payout made by the global media giant for the broadcasting rights.
Disney Star’s current portfolio includes television rights for the Indian Premier League (2023-27), television and digital rights for Cricket Australia (2023-2030), television and digital BCCI rights (2023), and television and digital rights for Cricket South Africa (end of 2023-2024).
Besides cricket, the platform telecasts other major sport events, including Pro Kabaddi League, Indian Super League, the Wimbledon Championship and the English Premier League.