ICC left hanging as JioStar intends to end media rights deal; New partners searched ahead of ICC T20 World Cup 2026 - Reports

ICC T20 World Cup 2026 will be played in February-March 2026 in India and Sri Lanka.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has been left in a tough spot after it received a legal notice from Jio Star stating that they intend to pull out of their digital media rights deal for ICC tournaments early.

In 2024–2025, JioStar doubled its reserves for anticipated losses on sports contracts, going from INR 12,319 crores to INR 25,760 crores. After an assessment revealed the pressure from long-term sports and content rights, which are anticipated to generate lower revenue than their costs, the value was determined.

According to a regulatory filing, Star India reported a net loss of INR 12,548 crore for the fiscal year that ended on March 31, 2024, prior to the merger with Viacom18. This was mostly due to an INR 12,319-crore provision for an expensive ICC media rights arrangement. In contrast, despite JioStar’s large losses, the ICC declared a USD 474 million profit in 2024, demonstrating cricket’s strong economics.

After the Indian government implemented the Protection and Regulation of Online Gaming Act 2025, the ban on real-money gaming (RMG) applications (Dream11, MyCircle, etc.) has been cited as a major factor. As a result, there is currently an $840 million (Rs. 7000 crore) vacuum in the advertising industry.

Amazon, Netflix, and Sony approached to take over from JioStar

The world cricket governing body has received a formal notice from the Reliance and Disney Star group-owned company to terminate the agreement, which was signed in 2024 and runs through 2027, with two years remaining, according to an Economic Times story.

According to the report, the ICC is currently looking for a new broadcaster for the 2026–2029 cycle. The approximate value the ICC is considering is $2.4 billion, or around Rs. 21633 crore. This will be smaller than the $3 billion (about Rs. 27042 crore) arrangement JioStar currently has for the 2024–2027 cycle.  

The report states that the ICC has reached out to Sony, Amazon, and Netflix, but none of them have shown interest.

Despite being one of India’s leading sports broadcasters, Sony Pictures Network believes that ICC’s cost is excessive. The Asian Cricket Council package, valued at approximately USD 170 million; the New Zealand Cricket rights, valued at USD 100 million; and the England and Wales Cricket Board rights, valued at more than USD 200 million, are just a few of Sony’s significant overseas holdings.

To reduce financial risk, Sony had to sublease the digital media rights for India’s 2025 tour of England to JioStar.

However, Netflix is still relatively new to the sports broadcasting sector, having only signed a deal with WWE. Meanwhile, Amazon Prime Video has the ICC rights in Australia through 2027 and has a relationship with New Zealand Cricket through the end of 2026.

For more updates, follow Khel Now Cricket on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.