Indian Premier League chairman Arun Singh Dhumal has said he does not expect the tournament’s media-rights value to drop in the next cycle, pushing back against forecasts of flat growth amid consolidation in India’s broadcast and streaming market.
Dhumal’s comments come at a time when the IPL is in the penultimate year of its 2023-27 rights cycle, under which Disney Star bought the domestic television rights for $3.02 billion, and Viacom18 secured the streaming rights for $3.05 billion. Recent projections have suggested the league’s next rights deal could see limited growth, especially if the tournament expands further in the next cycle.
“There is a lot of consolidation that has happened in the media space,” Dhumal said. “But when it comes to the IPL, there is no other property which has this kind of interest for any media company. The live sports content is outstanding. Every ball is an event.”
Dhumal said he still expects strong demand when the next rights cycle comes to market. “By the time we go for the next media-rights cycle, there will be a lot of interest from the existing players as well as new players who may come in. I do not see any reason for the value to go down. I feel it will add up in the next cycle because of the way the tournament has progressed and the value it creates.”
Dhumal backs subscription model, says franchises are profitable
Dhumal also expressed confidence that the IPL’s audience will remain strong even as streaming moves further towards a paid model. With streaming viewership now exceeding linear television audiences for the tournament, the shift away from free mobile access has become a major talking point around the league’s media future.
“I do not think it will drop,” he said. “People do not mind paying when it comes to quality. If you give quality content, there are many takers.” He added, “And the IPL is live content. Who would mind spending five, ten, or 25 rupees for a game? Compare that with paying hundreds of rupees for a movie, which is not live content. In a live game, you do not know what will happen until the last ball.”
Dhumal also said IPL franchises are profitable, citing the sharp jump in central revenues over the league’s three media-rights cycles. He pointed out that the rights were sold for ₹8,200 crore in 2008-17, ₹16,347 crore in 2018-22 and ₹48,390 crore in the current 2023-27 cycle. He added that the IPL’s central sponsorship portfolio is now worth about ₹850 crore per year.
“Definitely, they are profitable,” Dhumal said. “If you look at the value the IPL has created over 18 editions, the growth has been significant.” He further added, “So, it is not just a cricket tournament. It is a strong business model and a live entertainment product, driven by competitive cricket.”
