ICC Media Rights Auction: Top broadcasters see lack of transparency as red flag

The ICC Media Rights Tender has just five weeks left until the bid deadline. The deadline for bids to be submitted via sealed envelope to the ICC is August 22. However, the competitive bidding procedure has drawn a red flag from all major Indian broadcasters. A small number of bidders claim that the tender procedure is opaque.

“BCCI demonstrated how to run a tender. The IPL Tendering was incredibly open. Because ICC is still operating in an old-school manner, the procedure remains opaque. They anticipate spending a billion dollars, but they still want to operate according to the existing procedures,” a representative of one possible broadcaster told Inside Sport.

Submission of Bids must be delivered in a sealed envelope by August 22. Bid Opening is In Dubai, bids will be accepted beginning on August 26. Last time they were opened in London. After that, ICC will hold separate negotiations with each bidder.

The winning bids will be revealed by early September, according to the ICC. Due to their perception of a lack of openness in the closed bid procedure, bidders have raised flags.

Sony Sports Network has now sent a letter to the ICC on the Lack of transparency problem, according to a report by ET. The majority of prospective buyers, according to the newspaper, are dissatisfied with four things.

Problem 1: Use of sealed envelope bidding instead of an online auction
Problem 2: A three-week delay occurs between submitting a bid and announcing the winner.
Problem 3: The multiplier calculation for four-year rights versus eight-year rights is not clear.
Problem 4: the requirement for a 5% advance payment

On June 20, the ICC officially opened the 2024–31 cycle tender for the India area. Both the four and eight-year versions of the tender are being offered.

“All interested parties must submit a bid for a minimum of four years, with the possibility to submit a claim for an additional eight years. You can make individual bids for the broadcast rights and the digital rights as well as a combined bid for both rights.”

The proposals must be filed by August 22 and will be publicly opened in Dubai on August 26. The winning bids will be revealed by early September, according to the ICC. DisneyStar, SPN, Zee Entertainment Enterprises (ZEE), and Viacom18, the top four broadcasters in the nation, are all anticipated to submit bids for the rights. All 4 have supposedly bought the tender.