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IPL Media Rights explainer, India's gaming dominance & processing Mithali's retirement
On this day last year, Cristiano Ronaldo removed a coke bottle placed in front of him at a press conference at the EUROS. Quite literally, he single-handedly caused the company’s share price to drop $4 billion.
IPL Media Rights Explainer
A few months ago, it had been touted that the IPL Media Rights would be televised à la the player auction. That obviously didn’t pan out and as a result, we’ve all had to spend the last couple of days sifting through our Twitter feeds to figure out which OTT platforms and channels we’ll need to subscribe to.
Trying to make sense of the technicalities of the auction and figures being thrown around can be quite overwhelming. So, here’s a simple lowdown on everything you need to know about the media rights Auction.
First off, can you tell me what the different types of packages are?
Package A - TV rights for the Indian subcontinent
Package B - Digital Rights for the Indian subcontinent
Package C - The rights for a special selection of games, including the opening game, the playoffs and weekend evening matches. Two important things to note in this package,
1.) The matches aren’t exclusive and
2.) The number of matches included will depend on the total number of games in the season. If like this year there are 74 games, then 18 matches come under Package C. For every 10 additional games added to the schedule, 2 games are added to the package. So for example - if there are 84 games, then Package C will have 20 matches.
Package D - TV and Digital rights for the rest of the world.
How does the bidding process work in the auction?
The price for each package is determined on a per match basis. Here are the base prices for each:
Package A: INR 49 crore
Package B: INR 33 crore
Package C: INR 16
Package D: INR 3 crore
Okay, seems straightforward so far. What are the winning bids
As per a report by Cricinfo, Package A went for INR 57.5 crore/match to Disney Star. Package B went for INR 50 crore/match to Viacom 18, who also secured Package C for INR 33 crore/match.
Viacom also bought the digital rights for Australia + New Zealand, the UK and South Africa for a consolidated INR 23,758 crore. The rights for Middle East (INR 205 crore) and the USA (INR 258 crore) went to Times Internet. So overall, the per match valuation of Package D ended at INR 2.6 crore.
Were there any other auction technicalities?
Yes, there is. The winner of Package A can enter a direct bidding contest with the winner of Package B. Similarly, the winner of Package B can enter a direct bidding contest with the winners of Package C and D.
And did this end up happening?
As per a Cricinfo report, the winning bid for Package B (Viacom) had closed at INR 48 crore on the opening day. But on Monday, the winner of Package A (Disney) utilised its special rights and entered the bidding fray. It’s how Package B eventually went for INR 50 crore to Viacom.
How does the per match valuation compare to other leagues in the world?
As per a report by The Quint, the IPL’s media rights are only second to the NFL in the US. The IPL’s current match valuation (TV + digital) is at INR 107. 5 crore while the NFL is at INR 136 crore. The English Premier League is third on this list with the media rights being INR 82 crore/match.
And, how does it compare to the previous rights cycle (2018-2022) that was purchased by Star?
The per game valuation for that cycle was INR 54.23 crore. There’s been a mind-boggling 98% jump in the per game valuation and a 196% overall increase for the 2023-2027 rights cycle!
Okay I think that’s enough for now. These numbers are making my head spin.
India makes ESports history
India will be competing in a FIFA flagship tournament this year! Not Qatar in December but Copenhagen in July. Not the Blue Tigers but the eTigers. Not the World Cup but the FIFAeNations Cup.
On Saturday, India secured qualification to this 24-team tournament that is the showpiece event on the FIFA gaming calendar. While it will be India’s first appearance at this stage, they have been making waves on the global gaming circuit.
In January last year, the AIFF signed an agreement with FIFA for India to participate in the FIFAe Nations Series 2021. The board organised the nationwide AIFF eFootball Challenge to select players for the tournament. Matches are conducted in a 1 vs 1 format on the PS4 or PS5. From a shortlist of 16 eAthletes, four were selected to represent India at the Nations Series.
The team’s performance belied their inexperience at the global stage. Placed in the Middle East and Africa Zone, the eTigers finished third and narrowly missed out on qualification for the FIFAeNations Cup. India also hit a global ranking of 19 during this period, above countries like Argentina, Spain and Italy!
This year, the team was put in the Asia/Oceania region where after a stellar showing in the 32 game play-in, they qualified for the playoffs, the penultimate qualification step to the Nations Cup. India defeated Malaysia and South Korea in the playoffs that were held last weekend to book their spot in the FIFAe Nations Cup.
The AIFF, for all the criticism they receive, deserve credit for the role they’ve played in championing the gaming community. The board expanded qualification for the second edition of the eFootball Challenge to allow for more amateurs to participate and have also been proactive in their efforts to grow the gaming community. In December last year, the board launched its own Twitch channel - AIFF e-studio Live.
“I think the AIFF has done a fabulous job at making more content around esports available to the masses, whether it is about upcoming events and activities or player interviews that give a chance to esports athletes to share their journey with the audience,” said Lokmanyu Chaturvedi, a member of the eTigers and regular host on the Twitch channel.
The landscape is certainly expanding. The ISL became the first major tournament in the country to venture into competitive gaming with the launch of the eISL last year. Each of the 11 ISL teams were represented by one male and female eAthlete and the tournament was conducted in a bio-bubble in Gurugram. The tournament was conducted in a format similar to the ISL, complete with a league and playoff stage. Chennaiyin FC defeated Mumbai City to take home the inaugural title.
Esports’ rising prominence in the country is best illustrated by the fact that India will be sending 18 eAthletes to the Asian Games next year. Out of the eight gaming events being conducted, India will compete in five - FIFA, Street Fighter V, Hearthstone, DOTA2 and League of Legends.
Karman Singh Tikka and Charanjot Singh ( who is also part of the FIFAe Nations Cup qualifying team) will be representing India in FIFA 22 in Hangzhou next year.
Persons of Interest
It wasn’t just a big weekend for Indian football in the virtual world. On Saturday, India defeated Afghanistan 2-1 with a dramatic extra-time winner and in what was a massive step towards qualification for the AFC Asia Cup next year.
Spare a thought for Sunil Chhetri’s shoulders who once again had to carry the team in these qualifiers. Back in front of a home crowd after more than three years, Chhetri scored a brace against Cambodia in the opening round of qualifying fixtures on Wednesday. On Saturday, he followed that up with a *blows chef’s kiss* free-kick to break the deadlock against Afghanistan in the 86th minute. The visitors equalised in the 88th minute before Kerala Blasters starlet Sahal Abdul Samad scored a 92nd winner.
Chhetri’s recent exploits has pushed his international goals tally to 83. He is the second highest active goalscorer in the world after Lionel Messi (who is on 86 goals) and third on the all-time list, with just one goal separating him and Ferenc Puskas.
The game against Afghanistan also marked Chhetri completing 17 years in international football.
‘It's been an honour that I cannot explain in words, to have worn the national team shirt for 17 years. I’d commit to doing it for 17 more in a heartbeat. Till then, I’ll be grateful for nights like these,’ he wrote on Instagram after the game.
So are we Sunil. So are we.
Direct Hits
The sports news-cycle has moved at such a breakneck speed this week that we haven’t even had the time to process Mithali Raj’s retirement from the game.
If you too, find yourself in this boat, then this section is for you. Take out a few minutes to bask in Mithali’s glory.
We recommend reading the tributes by Shashank Kishore for Cricinfo, Purnima Malhotra’s for Cricbuzz and Ananya Upendran for Scroll. Check out Jarrod Kimber’s video breaking down Mithali’s batting supremacy too!
In last week’s edition:
Stories of athletes putting their bodies on the line
Hockey 5s: An attempt to make the sport “cool”
Sakshi Malik’s comeback
Read it here!
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