BY RISHAB JAIN
Disney Star has signed a seven-year deal with Cricket Australia to broadcast all the matches on Indian television and other countries across Asia.
The US$250 million (A$361 million) deal was signed in July and will commence in 2023, broadcasting all international and Big Bash League (BBL) games from Australia to India.
In June, Disney Star also gained television broadcasting rights for the Indian Premier League (IPL) from 2023 to 2027.
However, in the same auction, Disney Star lost the digital rights for IPL.
It's reported the new deal with Cricket Australia is a bid to get more engagement in terms of viewership.
Professor Paul Long, of Monash University’s Culture Media Economy Research Hub, said Disney will be looking to cash in on the new rights.
“If you can't obtain all the rights, you want the ones that will allow you to develop and make the most money over time,” Prof. Long said.
This deal comes as Cricket Australia faces legal issues with Network Seven on its previous contract of a six-year broadcasting agreement of US $450 million.
Disney Star also holds the exclusive rights to broadcast the Indian matches of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the International Cricket Council (ICC) until 2023.
Star is even breaking into e-sports, broadcasting India's first significant e-sports competition, the BattleGround Mobile India (BGMI Master Series). The most played online game in India.
On June 24, the BGMI Masters Series Lan Event commenced and is expected to grow into one of the greatest e-sports competitions of the year.
Disney Star’s strategy in the market has implications for its competitors and the market as a whole.
Industry Professor and Chief Economist at the University of Technology Sydney Tim Harcourt said the competitors might be taken aback as Disney Star seems to be working on a consolidated model, where they choose many international sports, which tends to be the strategy.
"It is still unclear whether the rivals will attempt to imitate Disney Plus or turn it into sports or cricket channel,” Prof. Harcourt said.
“Disney Plus, however, has size. They will therefore have a huge, huge advantage as a result,” he said.
Star also hopes to increase engagement in Big Bash League (BBL) matches after its massive success with the IPL.
Over the next five years, more games and tours between India and Australia will be played in the upcoming ICC Future Tour Programs. It is anticipated that the broadcaster will gain a lot from promoting cricket.
The Indian sports media market was worth $US1 billion (AU$1.4 billion) in 2020 and is anticipated to reach $US13.4 billion (AU$19.7 Billion) by 2027.
Prof. Tim Harcourt said India is becoming the biggest sports market in the world.
“In cricket, Disney Star are undeniably present whenever India has a presence. Sports are also quite well-liked in India," he said.
"It also has considerable international interest. It is the largest English-speaking country in the world in terms of the total population. I believe that opportunity therefore exists.”
In 2017 Cricket Australia and the England and Wales Cricket Board relinquished their media rights after then-Star India, later bought by The Walt Disney Company as part of a global transaction, won the IPL media rights for the first time.
The deal will come into effect from the 2023 Australian summer and will feature the BBL games for the first time on Disney Star platforms from December 2023 until February 2024.