PORT ELIZABETH, SOUTH AFRICA – APRIL 20: Kevin Pietersen of Bangalore (L) looks at the big screen with his team during IPL T20 match between Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore. Cricket is still the top dog in India, but other sports are growing thanks to investments in technology and non-live content. (Photo by Tom Shaw/Getty Images)
The Indian Premier League’s media rights were auctioned off, and while Facebook didn’t win them, the social network did bid an amount large enough for it to signal a strong interest in live sports.
Facebook bid about $608 million for the cricket rights from 2018-22 that were awarded to Star India thanks to a bid of $2.55 billion.
Facebook as of last October had reportedly expressed its interest in bidding for the five-year rights deal.
“We’re focused on helping our partners experiment with a variety of Live content types — from ‘behind the scenes’ access to first-person athlete Q&As to live games,” a Facebook spokesperson told The Economic Times last year. “We have seen great results when we have streamed games live — and continue to be interested in testing the viability of this content on Facebook.”
Facebook Live was the place where the NBA streamed its first regular season game to fans in India in January when the Sacramento Kings hosted the Golden State Warriors. In April, fans in India could also watch the World Snooker Championship.
Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, UEFA Champions League, Liga MX, Conference USA and Mountain West Conference football are among the leagues currently with schedules of select live events streaming on Facebook.
Could Facebook make a play for media rights from major sports properties in the coming years? The expectation is that the company will at least be a factor given that leagues are interested in staying current to attract eyeballs and curious to evaluate what will be the platforms of the future. It didn’t work out for cricket rights, but Facebook showed it was willing to get involved.
