New Delhi, March 24 Former Indian Premier League (IPL) chief Lalit Modi has proposed a bold plan for the league's next media rights cycle, urging decision-makers to move away from bulk deals and instead "package their rights individually, that is, through different media types."
With the current rights cycle ending in 2027, Modi expects the IPL to "go to market" as early as the first quarter of 2027. He argues that the IPL should follow the strategy used by the English Premier League (EPL) and increasingly by Formula 1.
"They need to go to market before the 2028 season, but ideally, I think they will go to market, if I'm not mistaken, early next year, probably in the first quarter of 2027. In my view, they should package their rights individually, that is, through different media types, different streaming platforms, whether it's OTT, digital, satellite television, terrestrial television, mobile rights, or global, country by country," Modi said.
"I think they should market them individually, if possible, like the EPL is doing now, and to a certain extent, Formula 1 will also start to do so. I think anyone and everyone involved in the broadcasting business should be looking at bidding, and those in the mobile business should also be looking at bidding," he added.
By marketing rights individually across different platforms and territories, Modi believes the league can attract a wider range of bidders beyond traditional broadcasters. He anticipated a massive influx of tech giants and global streamers into the bidding war, identifying Netflix, Meta, and Apple as likely contenders alongside Amazon.
"Every satellite company that is transmitting television content should be looking at it. I see all the companies, whether Netflix, Meta, or Apple, along with Amazon, looking at it. You would also see recent players like Bean, who want to expand their territory, also looking at it.
"Of course, there's ESPN, StarSports, and I don't rule out Sony coming back into the market, but you may never know, there are other media players who might be looking at it without a doubt," said Modi.
Reflecting on the league's exponential growth, Modi recalled the humble beginnings of the first media rights deal, which was valued at approximately 4 crore rupees per game. In the second year alone, that value jumped to 10 crore rupees.
"When I did the first media rights deal, it was approximately 4 crore rupees per game. It increased to close to about 10 crore rupees a game in the second year. And then I said, in 2010, 'I see every media cycle doubling'.
"And if you've seen it, from 4 crore rupees to close to 118 crore rupees today, the media rights have really increased and doubled every time. And so, if I look at it today, it will be the next cycle, I don't see anything less than at least 70 to 100 per cent uptake," he concluded.
