The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) governing body has launched a tender process covering domestic media rights for its next cycle of home national team and domestic fixtures.
The invitation to tender (ITT) documents will be available for interested parties to purchase until August 25, for a fee equivalent to just over $18,000.
It has been reported by various media platforms that the BCCI has approached global tech and media giants Amazon and Google over possible participation in the tender.
For the last cycle, running from 2018 until March this year, heavyweight pay-TV broadcaster Star India held domestic rights to top-tier cricket in the country.
That tie-up expired after the conclusion of the India versus Australia test series, with Globaldata Sport having estimated it as being worth just under $950 million in total. Star also held rights during the 2012-18 cycle.
The next home series the national men’s team plays will take place in late September, also against Australia. This lends the tender process a substantial degree of urgency.
While the BCCI has not officially confirmed how long the next cycle will last or how many home national team games are set to take place during that period, it is likely it will run through until the end of 2027.
The BCCI has said it “reserves the right to cancel or modify the bidding process at any stage or in any manner without providing any reason.”
Aside from Amazon and Google, the other key players in the process are likely to be Star, Sony Pictures Network, and Viacom18.
Rights to the iconic Indian Premier League Twenty20 franchise competition are not included in the tender - those are dealt with separately, with rights to the current cycle shared by Star and Viacom18.
Star, meanwhile, also has a deal in place covering events organized by the International Cricket Council.
This represents the second tender process the BCCI has launched in the last few days - earlier in the week, it began the formal hunt for a title sponsor for its top-tier home events from the 2023-24 season onwards.
A new title sponsor is being sought with Mastercard, the credit card giant that is the incumbent of that commercial slot, set to see its deal expire soon.
Mastercard took over as home events title sponsor from Paytm, the Indian digital payments firm that ended its tie-up for those rights with the BBCI earlier than scheduled.
