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ITV acquires the rights to IPL with a quarter of this year’s tournament to be broadcast on broadcast TV in the UK alongside major headline DAZN
- ITV is set to share a portion of coverage with major rights holders DAZN
- The news comes after Sky Sports decided to withdraw from the auction.
- The UK is the second largest market for the popular tournament after India itself.
ITV and DAZN have bought the live television rights for this year’s IPL in a groundbreaking deal that will see a quarter of the competition broadcast on broadcast television.
Sportsmail has learned that the two broadcasters have combined to take the IPL from current rights holders Sky Sports on a five-year deal, with 16 regular season matches to be broadcast exclusively on ITV and DAZN taking the other 58 games, including the play-offs and final.
DAZN is understood to be funding the bulk of the deal in its first foray into broadcasting cricket in this country, but has chosen to sublicense some of the games to ITV in a bid to boost viewership.
The streaming service already has the rights to IPL in Australia and South Africa, but the UK is the biggest market outside of India. All 74 matches will be broadcast live.
The IPL has been broadcast on Sky Sports for the past three years with its willingness to withdraw from auctioning rights, a sign of its increasingly cost-conscious approach and desire to focus on the English domestic season and global events. of the ICC.
ITV will show a quarter of this year’s IPL, and the tournament will return to free-to-air television in the UK.
Sam Curran became the most expensive cricketer of all time in December when the Punjab Kings signed him for £1.85m, thanks to his excellent World Cup-winning campaign last year.
BT Sport have picked up the rights to tours from England to New Zealand, Australia and the West Indies in recent years, with Sky preferring to focus on England’s home season, the World Cups and the Hundred.
ITV previously held the rights to the IPL between 2010 and 2014, and is expected to show this year’s competition on ITV4.
India’s IPL domestic television deal with Star Sports is worth £5bn, making it the second most lucrative competition in the world in all sports per match at £14m per game after the NFL .
The season kicks off with GT vs CSK on March 31 and India’s rights are split between Star (TV) and Viacom (broadcast).