Contrary to the expectations, Jeff Bezos’s Amazon and Google have withdrawn from the media rights race for IPL. The media rights bidding was expected to be a battle between Amazon and Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Group. However, since Amazon and Google-backed out, the top prospective bidders are likely to be Reliance-Viacom 18, Sony, and Disney Star.
Indian Premier League (IPL) is one of the most popular sporting events in the world. The auction is for the 2023-2027 media rights of the same. The companies who are participating in this gave their bid on Friday for BCCI’s approval.
It is said that Amazon stepped out from the race as BCCI rules are very stringent. The rules do not make business sense for Amazon. However, the company is yet to confirm it. According to sources in Google, the company was never interested in the cricket property. It did not even participate in the IPL mock auction.
The absence of tech giants might adversely affect BCCI. Their presence was expected to drive up the selling price of the rights. BCCI had set the base price for media rights at a combined total of Rs 33,000 crore. It expected revenue of Rs 50,000-60,000. However, the new development might come as a big blow for BCCI.
