As if the disagreements between the Indian broadcasters and the International Cricket Council (ICC) over the media rights sale weren’t already disturbing enough, another problematic topic has recently come to light that could further sour relations between the two parties.
Indian media outlets are alarmed by Indra Nooyi’s membership on the Amazon Board as an independent director of the ICC. It makes sense given that Amazon is a rival for the ICC media rights.
Former PepsiCo CEO Nooyi (66) has served as an independent director of the ICC since 2018. Nooyi, who has been a director of Amazon since 2019, has an excellent reputation and is anticipated to abstain from the discussion of media rights.
However, the Indian broadcasters claim they were not informed about Nooyi’s voluntary non-participation in the tender process. They and the ICC have been at odds over various provisions of the media rights tender.
An ICC spokesperson said, “Indra Nooyi’s appointment to the Amazon Board was declared to the ICC when she took up the role. As a result, she has recused herself from any ICC Board discussion on the ITT process since then. She has not been involved in any capacity and will not be part of the final ICC Board decision on the ITT.”
Nooyi is a member of the 17-person ICC Board, the highest level of decision-making for the regulatory organization. Nooyi has also received a message from this website.
It is anticipated that Amazon will be a significant competitor for the digital rights of the eight-year ICC cycle, between 2024 and 31. Amazon has been making a big breakthrough in sports broadcasting globally. The American e-commerce behemoth had apparently had its eye on the ICC rights when it earlier withdrew from the IPL rights procurement process.
According to reports, the Indian broadcasters have complained to the ICC about a number of concerns related to the media rights tender and have hinted at boycotting the procedure. The four major media corporations—Sony, Star, Viacom, and Zee—have written to the ICC to express their various concerns.
