The inaugural season of the Women’s IPL is all set to begin in March this year. Ahead of the event, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday announced that broadcasting giant Viacom 18 has secured the media rights of the upcoming competition for a whopping deal of Rs 951 crore.
Viacom 18 will hold the broadcasting rights for five seasons till 2027. The BCCI broke the news confirming the deal through a post on their official Twitter.
The BCCI published a tender in December 2022 in order to solicit bids from media organisations for the broadcast rights to the competition, which have been long sought after in Indian cricket. The auction for Women’s IPL media rights was conducted in Mumbai. Viacom has pledged to complete the deal for Rs 951 crore which means Rs 7.09 crore per match during the 2023-27 cycle.
BCCI wrote on Twitter, “The BCCI is pleased to announce Viacom18 Media Private Limited as the successful bidder of Media Rights for the Women’s Indian Premier League (WIPL) Seasons 2023-2027.”
Prior to this, Star Network and Viacom purchased the Indian Premier League’s broadcasting contracts. Starting with the upcoming season, a Men’s IPL match is valued at Rs 118 crore per game. The agreement marks a significant step as it will certainly play a pivotal role in the expansion and growth of women’s cricket in India. Since the news came to light, the Indian cricket fraternity went on to laud the BCCI for securing the massive deal that will help WIPL achieve significant heights.
BCCI Secretary Jay Shah, overwhelmed by the deal, congratulated Viacom for winning the media rights. He further said, “Thank you for your faith in BCCI and BCCI Women. Viacom has committed INR 951 crore which means per match value of INR 7.09 crore for the next 5 years (2023-27). This is massive for Women’s Cricket.”
Congratulations @viacom18 for winning the Women’s @IPL media rights. Thank you for your faith in @BCCI and @BCCIWomen. Viacom has committed INR 951 crores which means per match value of INR 7.09 crores for next 5 years (2023-27). This is massive for Women’s Cricket ????????????
— Jay Shah (@JayShah) January 16, 2023
After pay equity, today’s bidding for media rights for Women’s IPL marks another historic mandate. It’s a big and decisive step for empowerment of women’s cricket in India, which will ensure participation of women from all ages. A new dawn indeed! #WIPL @ICC @BCCIWomen
— Jay Shah (@JayShah) January 16, 2023
Voice of Cricket Harsha Bhogle was also excited about the deal.
The decks are clearing for the women’s IPL with a good TV deal in place. Now, I hope the purse for each team is equally solid.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) January 16, 2023
Rajasthan Royals fielding coach Dishant Yagnik noted, “Great news for BCCI Womens cricket. It’s gonna be a huge success for Women’s IPL (WIPL). Congratulations, Viacom18.”
Former and current cricketers including Anjum Chopra, Jhulan Goswami, and Harmanpreet Kaur were also elated at the prospect.
Wao! This is wonderful news for the womens game. Viacom winning the media rights for womens @IPL. Look forward to the encouraging times for the womens game @BCCIWomen @viacom18
— Anjum Chopra (@chopraanjum) January 16, 2023
Huge congratulations to Viacom18 and @BCCI, @JayShah for a historic day in women’s cricket. Today marks a new era where our women cricketers will get the platform they deserve to thrive, excel and develop on the global stage. I’m sure you’ll be mesmerized by the talent we have!
— Harmanpreet Kaur (@ImHarmanpreet) January 16, 2023
Here are some other reactions:
Womens’s IPL is now the 2nd most expensive Cricket league after Men’s IPL.
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) January 16, 2023
Every ball bowled in the Women’s IPL will carry almost 3 lakhs INR of broadcast value on it.
That’s not bad at all.#WIPL
— Antariksh । अंतरिक्ष (@trixtalk) January 16, 2023
A historic day for women’s cricket – not just in India but across the globe ????❤️ Kudos to everyone involved. Congratulations @viacom18
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) January 16, 2023
The board will unveil the names of the franchises for the five-team competition on 25 January. As per reports, as many as eight franchises out of ten from the Men’s league including reigning champions Gujarat Titans have submitted financial bids in sealed envelopes. Furthermore, the BCCI has also sorted 10 cities as the venues for WIPL 2023.
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