Star Sports, the preeminent sports television network in the nation, has been designated to broadcast the Under-19 World Cup. Since 2007, global events have been broadcast on the network, which is presently under the ownership of Walt Disney and was formerly owned by Rupert Murdoch. This may appear mundane. Nevertheless, a recent occurrence has caused a significant transformation in the situation: the television rights sharing agreement between Zee Network and Star Sports has faced obstacles. As a result, Star Sports has acquired temporary exclusive ownership over both linear and digital properties. The event will be hosted on the digital platform Hotstar.
CricAdvisor has learned that Star Sports is actively seeking to sell commercial spots for the Under 19 World Cup, which begins in South Africa on January 19. Additionally, negotiations are underway with the International Cricket Council (ICC) regarding the telecast rights of the Under 19 World Cup, which will be the first major event in the new 2024-27 cycle of ICC competitions. Regarding this development, representatives from the ICC, Star, and Zee have maintained a discreet stance.
For those unaware, Disney Star acquired the ICC rights for a duration of four years for USD 3.1 billion in August of last year. The following day, Disney Star subsequently granted Zee Entertainment Limited (ZEEL) a sub-licence for the linear rights. At the outset, the circumstances seemed amicable, particularly in light of ZEEL’s investigation into a potential merger with Sony India. Nevertheless, the protracted obstacles encountered during the merger negotiations have significantly influenced the agreement between ZEEL and Disney Star.
The complexities of this arrangement encompass multiple strata and may also be subject to the impact of other developments in the industry. Disney Star is reportedly in negotiations with Network/Viacom 18, which is owned by Reliance, regarding the possible transfer of Disney’s India operations. Industry conjecture suggests that an announcement concerning this subject may be imminent later this month. However, this is a concurrent development, and it is difficult to predict to what extent it will affect the privileges of the ICC.
As per the terms of the ICC-Star agreement, Zee was obligated to bear fifty percent of the financial burden while Star was required to furnish a bank guarantee. However, it has been reported that Zee has not fulfilled its portion of the financial obligation as of today, leaving Star with the full financial responsibility. The duration of this agreement or whether the collaboration with Zee has been temporally halted is currently unknown. The following major event in the cycle is the Twenty20 World Cup, which is slated to take place in June in both the Caribbean and the United States. Meanwhile, Zee executives are hard at work preparing to broadcast the second edition of the UAE’s ILT20, which coincidentally begins on January 19.
The Under-19 World Cup consists of sixteen competing nations and runs until February 11th. In total, there will be 48 contests. The defending champions are India.
