Last June, Disney Star paid ₹23,575 crore for IPL TV rights. Viacom18 paid ₹23,758 crore for digital. Combined: ₹48,390 crore for five years of cricket.
That’s $6.2 billion ESPNcricinfo, making it the biggest broadcast deal in cricket history.
And honestly? It’s warping India’s entire sports economy.
The Numbers Don’t Lie (Even If They’re Absurd)
India’s sports economy hit ₹18,864 crore in 2025 Outlook India, according to WPP Media’s latest Sporting Nation report. Cricket’s share? ₹16,704 crore — that’s 89% of the total market Outlook India.
Let me put that in perspective: Cricket alone in 2025 made more money than the entire Indian sports industry did in 2024.
The IPL isn’t just dominating. It’s swallowing the ecosystem whole.
What Actually Happened in That 2022 Auction
The June 2022 e-auction lasted three days. Twenty-four companies got the documents. Only fourteen actually bid.
The result? Each IPL match is now worth $13.4 million ESPNcricinfo in media value. That puts it second globally — behind only the NFL’s $35 million per game.
For context: English Premier League matches are valued at $11.34 million. The IPL just leapfrogged football’s richest league.
Disney Star kept the TV rights, continuing their Star Sports broadcasts. But the big story was Viacom18 — backed by Reliance Industries — paying more for digital than Star paid for television. First time ever in Indian sports that digital rights exceeded TV.
Then Came the JioStar Merger
In November 2024, Disney merged its Indian operations with Reliance’s Viacom18 Arthnova, creating a media giant called JioStar. By February 2025, Disney+ Hotstar and JioCinema merged into JioHotstar.
Result: One company now controls all IPL rights — TV and digital.
The Media Money Breakdown
Media spending accounts for 51% of India’s total sports economy at ₹9,571 crore Outlook India. But here’s where it gets interesting:
- Digital ad spending grew 24% to reach ₹4,449 crore
- TV ad spending grew 16.4% to ₹5,117 crore
Digital is eating TV’s lunch, and the gap is closing fast.
Cricket captured 95% of all media investments Outlook India in sports. Not 75%. Not 85%. Ninety-five percent.
What About Other Sports?
They’re struggling. Hard.
The WPP report notes that emerging sports revenue actually fell 12.2% in 2025. The Indian Super League’s absence left a massive commercial gap that new properties like the Neeraj Chopra Classic and World Pickleball League couldn’t fill.
Sponsorship growth came from “premiumisation” — brands paying more for the same inventory — not from new sports getting funded.
The Real Money: Franchise Sponsorships
IPL team sponsorships crossed ₹1,000 crore for the first time in 2025, hitting ₹1,033 crore total. Mumbai Indians, RCB, and CSK are each pulling in around ₹150 crore from sponsors alone.
When Real Money Gaming companies got regulated out, did sponsorships collapse? Nope. Apollo Tyres replaced Dream11 on the Indian cricket team jersey at a higher rate.
The money didn’t disappear. It just move