Viacom18 enters strategic partnership with CSA; gets SA20 League media rights for Indian market
Viacom18 Sports grabs media rights for the Indian market for SA20 League, the Twenty20 league in South Africa. SA20 League is set to be launched in January 2023.
Viacom18 Sports has snatched the media rights for the Indian market at an undisclosed amount for SA20 League, the new Twenty20 league in South Africa, which is set to be launched in January 2023, a hurdle that wasn’t breached by Global League T20 and the Mzansi Super League on earlier occasions.
In case of the Indian Premier League (IPL) media rights, a few months ago Viacom18 had also clinched the digital rights for the next five-year period at an amount of INR 23,758 crore.
Viacom18 to broadcast SA20 in India
The strategic partnership jointly declared by Viacom18 and Cricket South Africa (CSA) on November 2, is for 10 years and will be shown on Sports18 television channel and digitally on Jio platforms.
Even though the value of the deal hasn’t been disclosed by the two sides, it is understood that the number could be lower than SA20’s asking price of US$ 100 million for a ten-year period.
The tournament will be broadcasted in South Africa by SuperSport, which also owns a 30 per cent stake in SA20, CSA owns 50 per cent and former IPL chief executive Sundar Raman owns the rest 20 per cent.
The CSA tender process didn’t appear to be getting an encouraging response last month which led them to have negotiations with Viacom18, a joint venture between Network18 Group and Paramount Networks.
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“We expect significant viewership and fan engagement”: Viacom18 Sports CEO Anil Jayaraj
The SA20 League features six teams- Johannesburg Super Kings, Pretoria Capitals, Durban Super Giants Sunrisers Eastern Cape, Paarl Royals and MI Cape Town - owned by groups that have teams across various global leagues, including the Indian Premier League (IPL). It is learnt that most of the games in the SA20 will be played during the India prime time.
“We continue to offer fans an immersive and engaging experience by strengthening our sports portfolio with some of the best cricket action through SA20,” Viacom18 Sports CEO Anil Jayaraj expects significant viewership and fan engagement given the games will be played in India prime time.
“T20 is the most popular cricket format with Indian fans. The history and legacy of South African cricket and the popularity of South African cricketers in India make a thrilling proposition for cricket fans in India.”
Read More: IPL 2023-27: Star retains TV rights for INR 23,575 cr, Viacom18 grabs digital for INR 23,758 cr