(Cricket News) This year’s Under-19 World Cup will be televised on Star Sports, the nation’s top sports television channel. This may seem ordinary since international competitions have been shown on the network—which is currently owned by Walt Disney, formerly owned by Rupert Murdoch—since 2007.
But something happened recently that changed everything: a television rights-sharing agreement between Star Sports and Zee Network has run into difficulties, and as a result, Star Sports is now the sole owner, at least for the time being, of both digital and linear properties. Hotstar will serve as the event’s digital platform.
ICC, Star, and Zee officials have taken a reserved stance on this development. Ahead of the Under 19 World Cup, which begins in South Africa on January 19. Many sources state that Star Sports is actively looking to sell commercial spots for the World Cup, and negotiations are underway with the International Cricket Council (ICC) for the telecast of the Under 19 World Cup, marking the first major event in the new 2024–27 cycle of the ICC competitions.
The complexities of this arrangement are multifaceted and could also be impacted by other developments in the industry. For example, there are reports that Disney Star is in talks to sell its Indian business with Reliance-owned Network/Viacom 18, and there is speculation in the industry that an announcement on this matter may come later this month. However, this is a separate development, and it is hard to say how much of it will affect the ICC rights.
The ICC-Star agreement stated that Star would provide a bank guarantee and that Zee would bear half of the financial burden. As of right now, Zee has allegedly failed to live up to its half of the financial obligation, leaving Star to bear the full financial burden. It is unclear whether this arrangement applies to the entire cycle or if the association with Zee has been temporarily suspended.
The Twenty20 World Cup, which is set to take place in the Caribbean and the US in June, is the next major event in the cycle. Zee executives are occupied with planning the telecast of the second edition of the UAE’s ILT20, which also begins on January 19.
India, the defending champions, will compete in 16 teams over the course of 48 games in the Under 19 World Cup, which runs until February 11.
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