Star Network and Viacom 18 placed successful bids to acquire the rights for Television and Digital Media rights respectively. The rights for overseas broadcasting were split between Viacom 18 and Times Internet.
The tournament saw a dip in viewership in 2022, recording numbers well below the previous two editions, which were conducted in a COVID-19-riddled situation. Despite the fall, Sourav Ganguly remained confident of a successful outing at the media rights auction. He said in an interview with Sportstar:
The introduction of two new franchises has added another dimension of intrigue to the tournament. Moreover, the home and away format is expected to return next season barring any crisis. Both these factors mean the competition is bound to reach new heights in the upcoming five-year cycle.
“This sport is very healthy and there is no doubt about it” - Sourav Ganguly
The media rights for the IPL saw a huge rise from the previous cycle. A bid of ₹23,575 crore proved to be enough for Star India to retain the television broadcast rights.
The viability and future of the digital medium was on showcase at the auction as well. Viacom-18 secured the digital broadcasting rights for ₹23,758 crore, marginally more than the television rights.
Anticipating an instance where digital media would outbid television rights, Sourav Ganguly said:
The former captain concluded:
The future of the IPL, at a glimpse, could include a dedicated two-and-a-half-month window in the FTP cycle along with the prospect of overseas friendly matches.
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