Cricket's goose IPL has laid a golden egg once again and it’s worth Rs 48,390 crore. Mind you, the hatching season is not over. The high-octane, big-hitting carnival will bring in more moolah to the table with advertising and sponsors for the golden wicket.
On Tuesday, the cricketing behemoth BCCI secured one of the biggest broadcast deals in the history of the sport, fetching an eye-popping Rs 48,390 crore ($6.20 billion) through IPL media rights for a five-year period, starting 2023.
While Disney Star retained their Indian sub-continent TV rights with a figure of Rs 23,575 crore ( approx Rs 57.5 crore/game), the most sought-after India digital rights deal was acquired for Rs 20,500 crore by the Reliance-backed Viacom18, which also won the non-exclusive Package C, paying another Rs 2,991 crore.
Let us compare just the cost of IPL media rights in other contexts to understand how big this mammoth has become ever since its birth in 2008.
Central Vista
The monies raked in from IPL media rights can help build two Central Vistas in the national capital. The project, which is estimated to cost around Rs 20,000 crore, involves a new Parliament building, remodelling Central Vista Avenue, and Common Central Secretariat by demolishing the existing structure in Parliament in New Delhi.
221 Rolls Royce Boat Tails (World's most expensive car)
Rolls Royce Boat Tail is currently the world's most expensive car, which costs a whopping $28 million (Rs 218.41 crore). The IPL media rights kitty would fetch 221 units of this gorgeous luxury car.
Second biggest sports league in the world
When it comes to the biggest sports leagues in the world, IPL is the second-most expensive sports tournament in terms of media rights. The IPL media rights for TV and digital in the Indian subcontinent for the cycle 2023-2027 were sold for a whopping Rs 107.5 crore per game. The 14-year-old cash-rich league has now surpassed the top sports leagues in the world such as Major League Baseball (MLB) and the English Premier League (EPL).
The National Football League (NFL) tops the list with media rights valued at Rs 136 crore per match, according to a 2020 Duff & Phelps comparison.
311 Guafo Islands in Chile
With Rs 48,333 crore in hand, the IPL kitty can help actually purchase 311 private islands in Chile. The 49,422-acre Guafo Island in Chile costs $20 million (Rs 155.99 crore), according to a report by Forbes.
($1 = Rs 78.03)