We waited for a few days for the dust to settle on the issue. Here’s Dr Bhaskar Das in the June 20 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…
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Q. Your views on the IPL media rights wins of last week? Will the new rights-holders be able to recover their spends?
A. That Disney would be a strong contender for the IPL bid for the next five years was a commonly held belief. The 30% growth might pose a challenge to recover (without digital rights) unless advertisers’ spending sentiment gets bullish.
TV remains a primary way for audience to watch the IPL. That’s must have given impetus to Disney. But the online market might grow much faster with the spread of smartphones. Viacom 18, after winning the streaming rights, would get an unrivalled platform to grow streaming and other ancillary digital businesses. It must be said that IPL has reshaped cricket and has turned India into a promising sports market.