Digital media platforms seem to outnumber traditional broadcasters when it comes to bidding for the rights of the Indian Premier League.

A total of 24 players have picked up the tender documents and are already in the fray for the auction to the media rights, which is scheduled to open on September 4. The Board of Control for Cricket in India will be conducting the bidding on Monday.

Industry observers point that a slew of digital players in the bidding process signifies the growing importance of online as a category.

Companies will be bidding for two major categories -- broadcast and digital (Internet and mobile) rights.

Besides linear broadcasters such as Star India and Sony Pictures Network, new entrants in the digital category include Reliance Jio Digital, Amazon Seller Service, Yupp TV, Airtel, Twitter, ESPN Digital Media, Times Internet, Facebook, Yahoo, BAMTech and DAZN/Perform group, among others.

Several company spokespersons BusinessLine spoke with indicated that they would be bidding for the media rights.

“Viewers want anytime, anywhere convenience of watching. With data packages getting cheaper, it is only imperative that this viewership is going to grow in coming years and live events are a sure short bet,” digital broadcasters point.

According to experts, BCCI could make windfall gains of Rs 13,000-Rs 15,000 crore.

According to Duff & Phelps, a premier global valuation and corporate finance advisor, the overall value of IPL as a business has increased to $5.3 billion from $4.2 billion last year.

Duff & Phelps, which brought out the report IPL: The Decade Edition: A Concise Report on Brand Values in the Indian Premier League , also had said the new broadcasting rights auction will be a keenly watched development.

“The BCCI is clearly set for a huge windfall. We could be looking at a television broadcasting deal of record proportions. This deal may follow the precedent set by some of the big-ticket broadcasting deals across the world,” Santosh N, MD-Valuation Advisory Services, Duff & Phelps said in a statement.

Duff and Phelps also noted that digital content is becoming a very strong medium of social media engagement for sports viewers.

BCCI auctions were to be held on August 28. However, it was pushed to September 4 as a case regarding electronic auctions was pending in the Supreme Court.

Currently, Sony Pictures Network has the broadcast rights until this year’s IPL edition. It had paid Rs 8,200 crore for a 10-year deal in 2008. The digital rights of IPL wrests with Star India. BCCI had said the digital rights for the last three years had fetched just over Rs 300 crore.

All the rights will be for a period of five years from 2018-2022.

Vinod Rai, the Chairman of the Committee of Administrators, was appointed by the Supreme Court of India in January to supervise the BCCI to ensure that it worked according to the guidelines of the Lodha recommendation.

Pointers:

· Auction postponed to Sep 4 from Aug 28

· 24 bidders in fray including host of digital players

· TV broadcast, mobile and digital rights are major categories for which companies are set to bid

· New rights will be for a five-year period 2018-2022

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