Disney Star has agreed to license part of its ICC rights for ICC men’s and Under-19 events in the Indian market to Zee. Disney Star will retain the digital rights for the events.
Zee will now broadcast the ICC men’s and Under-19 tournaments in India for the 2024-27 cycle. The broadcast rights for the women’s events remain with Disney.
The ICC, cricket’s governing body, has given its approval “in principle” to the deal believed to be worth US$3 billion. Last week, Disney acquired the rights that include two T20 World Cups (2024 and 2026), the 2025 Champions Trophy and the 2027 ODI World Cup.
Disney Star’s K Madhavan, country manager and president, said the decision to retain only the digital rights had allowed it to put “in place a balanced and robust cricket offering for our audiences across linear and digital.”
Zee’s chief executive officer and managing director Punit Goenka said the agreement reflected a “sharp, strategic vision”.
“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. We look forward to working with ICC and Disney Star, to enable this strategic offering for our television viewers in India.”
In June, Disney has won the broadcast television rights to the Indian Premier League for the next five years. However, despite paying $3 billion for the broadcast rights, it missed out on the digital rights to rival broadcaster Viacom 18.
It’s anticipated that the ICC rights for the United States, Australia and the UK will be settled by Christmas.
