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Sony India Clinches ACC Media Rights Until 2031

• Sony's India unit has secured the media rights for all Asian Cricket Council (ACC) tournaments until 2031, valued at $170 million.
• The deal strengthens Sony's foothold in India, ensuring coverage of Asian cricket's marquee tournaments across multiple platforms.
• Disney and Reliance, initially seen as frontrunners, did not bid for the ACC media rights, marking a significant shift in cricket broadcasting in Asia.
• This development underscores the dynamic nature of the media industry and the strategic importance of sports broadcasting rights in shaping the industry's future trajectory.

In a significant development for the media industry, Sony's India unit has secured the media rights for all Asian Cricket Council (ACC) tournaments until 2031. The deal, valued at $170 million, comes at a pivotal time for the media industry in India, which is currently undergoing a consolidation phase following the $8.5 billion merger of Reliance and Walt Disney's India media assets.

Sony's acquisition of the ACC media rights is a strategic move that will bolster its foothold in India, particularly after it pulled out of a $10 billion merger with Zee Entertainment earlier this year. The deal ensures the coverage of Asian cricket's marquee tournaments across television, digital, and audio platforms, according to a statement from Sony India.

Interestingly, Disney and Reliance, who were seen as frontrunners for the ACC media rights, did not bid for the rights. This comes as a surprise, given the merged entity's significant influence over the broadcast of cricket, the most popular sport in the world's most populous country.

Shift in Cricket Broadcasting Landscape

The entity currently holds the rights to the matches of the Indian Premier League and International Cricket Council. The media rights of the ACC were previously held by Disney-owned Star India until 2023. However, these rights were temporarily extended, according to media reports. The shift of these rights from Star India to Sony marks a significant change in the landscape of cricket broadcasting in Asia.

This development comes on the heels of concerns raised by India's antitrust body earlier this year about the merged entity's grip over the broadcast of cricket. The antitrust body had expressed apprehensions about the potential monopolistic tendencies that could arise from the merger of Reliance and Walt Disney's India media assets.

Historical Similarities and Future Implications

The acquisition of the ACC media rights by Sony is reminiscent of similar historical events in the media industry. For instance, in 2018, Star India had secured the global media rights for the Indian Premier League for a whopping $2.55 billion, outbidding several other media giants. This deal had significantly enhanced Star India's presence in the cricket broadcasting sector.

Similarly, in 2012, ESPN Star Sports had secured the global broadcast and digital rights for all ACC events for the 2014-2023 period. This deal had marked a significant shift in the broadcasting rights of cricket in Asia, with ESPN Star Sports replacing Nimbus as the official broadcaster of ACC events.

The recent deal between Sony and the ACC is likely to have far-reaching implications for the media industry in India and Asia at large. It will be interesting to see how this deal shapes the future of cricket broadcasting in the region and whether it will lead to increased competition in the sector.