The US e-commerce behemoth Amazon and Indian oil-to-retail conglomerate Reliance Industries are set to lock heads over India‘s cricket telecast rights, news agency Reuters reported citing sources.
According to the report, Amazon and Reliance are eyeing to take over Sony Group and Walt Disney Co, for exclusive five-year TV and digital broadcast rights to the two-month series of matches, amounting to a record $6.7 billion. Meanwhile, a broadcasting joint venture between Reliance and media giant Viacom18 is also underway, as per the report.
Notably, Disney, Sony, Zee and Star Group are the top broadcasters of cricket—both in the television and digital format—in India.
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According to the report, Amazon wants to expand its operations by winning the IPL broadcasting rights. Its flagship, Amazon Prime Video had recently live-streamed cricket matches. The Board of Control for Cricket in India had awarded the tender to broadcast IPL matches to Star Group in 2017.
Amazon and Reliance are already in rivalry over India’s retail market. The American e-commerce giant has dragged Future Retail, a subsidiary of Future Group, to the Supreme Court citing that the retail firm had violated the terms of the contract between Amazon and Future Retail, by entering into a deal with Reliance Industries.
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