The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has allocated a base price of USD 170 million for the media rights of the next four of the Men’s and three editions Women’s Asia Cup from 2024 to 2031 cycle in different countries. These funds include satellite, digital, and audio rights for the tournaments organized by the ACC.
India will be hosting the next edition of the Asia Cup in 2025 in T20I format. Notably, the tournament marks the return to Indian soil after 35 years. It was in 1990 that the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) hosted the Asia Cup when India triumphed over Sri Lanka by 7 wickets at the Eden Gardens in the finals to win the trophy on its homeground.
Mainly, the formats of the Asia Cup have been planned accordingly to the upcoming ICC events for the last few seasons.
Asia Cup Media Rights Auction Process and Broadcasters’ Participation
The ACC has begun accepting bids for media rights for the 2024-2031 cycle. The auction is scheduled to take place on November 01. Interested bidders are required to submit their proposals in Dubai by October 30. Based on ACC’s announcement, the winner will be selected through an e-auction process, which is viewed as a fair and transparent process.
Meanwhile, the main question that arises ahead of the auction is the number of main broadcasters participating in the event.
Also, rumors are spreading about whether the Reliance-backed Viacom18 (Jio Cinemas) and Disney Star will submit their bids individually or team up as they are expected to merge soon with the recent legal regulatory clearances already taking place. However, the outcome of the competition for media rights could vary based on the number of companies participating.
Increase in Asia Cup Media Rights
Earlier, Star India held the media rights for the 2016-2023 cycle by paying a massive sum of money between $80 million and $90 million. Currently, the ACC has doubled the value for the next cycle. This is not just because of the increasing popularity of sports in Asian countries, but also the growing expenses linked with acquiring top-quality sports content platforms to provide complete entertainment to viewers.
Upcoming Men’s Asia Cup editions planned according to ICC Tournaments
The previous year’s Asia Cup was held in ODI format before the commencement of the World Cup 2023. Team India under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy extended the record for winning the trophy eighth time and has a valuable opportunity to defend the title at home.
So, it is understood that the 10th edition of the Men’s T20 World Cup is scheduled for 2026, and ahead of the ICC’s prestigious tournament, the forthcoming 17th edition of the Asia Cup is organized in a T20 version.
Subsequently, Bangladesh is set to host the Asia Cup 2027 in the ODI format. Interestingly, the next edition of the ODI World Cup will be hosted in South Africa in the same year.
Later, Pakistan will host the 2029 edition in T20 format followed by Sri Lanka hosting the Asia Cup in 2031 in ODI format. Each edition of the tournament will include 13 matches with the India-Pakistan clash being the main attraction for broadcasters and viewers. Most importantly, both teams will compete against each other two times in a season, with the possibility of their third clash if they reach the finals.
It is worth noting that the T20I and ODI formats of the Asia Cup are scheduled alternatively based on the ICC competitions.
An Overview of Asia Cup 2024-2031 Media Rights Package
The media rights for a whooping package of US$ 170 million include these wide ranges of Asia Cup tournaments such as:
- Senior Men’s Asia Cup
- Senior Women’s Asia Cup
- Under-19 Men’s Asia Cup
- Men’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup
- Under-19 Women’s Asia Cup
- Women’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup
Overall Facts
The latest news emerges following the successful edition of Asia Cup 2023 which was co-hosted by Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The main reason why Sri Lanka was considered under a hybrid model was due to the security issues raised by India traveling to Pakistan.
After the late 1990s, India is set to once again host the Men’s Asia Cup, promising to make the upcoming event a blockbuster for all players and fans. As cricket continues to gain popularity among all Asian fans, huge funds set by the ACC increase the expectations for highly competitive and thrilling matches with an increased viewership rate.
Also, women’s cricket’s increasing popularity elevates the tournament’s standards by attracting a lot of fans from broadcasters and digital platforms across the world. Overall, it is a wise and bold decision taken by the ACC to sell the media rights for lucrative amounts. Finally, the broadcasters are showing their eagerness to pay hefty amounts and compete to grab the media rights for Asia’s high-profile tournament in cricket