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Indian Premier League Rights Tender Sets Stage For Fox Vs. Sony Battle

Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox is "squaring up to Sony Pictures in a battle for the media rights to Indian Premier League cricket in an auction that has also attracted interest from several Silicon Valley groups," according to Garrahan & Stacey of the FINANCIAL TIMES. The main broadcast rights are "likely to be contested by Sony and Star India, Fox’s Indian subsidiary, and could change hands if Star submits a high enough bid." James and Lachlan Murdoch, Fox’s CEO and exec co-chair, respectively, are "keen to add the IPL to Star’s rights portfolio, which includes international cricket, tennis and European football, as well as kabbadi, India’s oldest sport." Fox and Star, India’s leading TV group with about 20% of total viewing, "declined to comment." Sony "also declined to comment." India has "become a priority for the Murdochs," who have set Star an operating income target of $1B by '20. Sony has used its ownership of the IPL rights to "develop its presence in India but it has reduced its reliance on the competition after buying Ten Sports Network" for $385M (FT, 10/23). 

NO DEAL: ESPN.com's Nagraj Gollapudi reported the opening of the bids for the IPL broadcast rights has been delayed after the Lodha Committee told Board of Control for Cricket in India President Anurag Thakur to submit a letter stating that the board will "unreservedly comply" with the Supreme Court order of Oct. 21. The bids for TV and digital rights were "set to be opened and finalised on Tuesday in Mumbai." A senior BCCI official "confirmed receipt of the committee's email." Last week, the Supreme Court passed an order that "limited the financial freedom of the BCCI until the board and its state associations comply with the Lodha Committee's recommendations." Following its email to the Lodha Committee, the BCCI also sent an email to the 18 prospective bidders on Sunday, saying that "it was awaiting directions from the Committee." In the note, the board "informed the bidders that all the Invitation To Tender documentation related to the process had been sent to the Committee." The bidders were also told that the BCCI would update them of the "future course of action" based on the "advice" received from the committee (ESPN.com, 10/24).

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