South African pay-TV network Super Sport will broadcast the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) 2023 season after agreeing a sublicensing deal with Viacom18, the Twenty20 cricket competition’s territorial broadcast partner.
Confirmed:
- Super Sport will air all 74 matches from this year’s IPL, including the playoffs and finals
- Viacom has also agreed a sublicensing deal with Sky New Zealand to broadcast the IPL in that territory
Context:
On 30th March, SuperSport said it would not be extending its IPL rights partnership for this year, releasing a statement that said talks with Viacom18 ‘have unfortunately been unsuccessful’. However, the next day Super Sport confirmed it had struck an agreement after ‘updated conversations’ with the Indian-based media company. Super Sport is the major pay-TV player in South Africa, it has a stake in the new SA20 domestic T20 competition and also air the majority of national team matches.
Coming next:
The Board of Cricket Control in India’s (BCCI) model for IPL rights sales means that Viacom18 is able to create its own sales distribution process. For 2023 the Paramount-backed venture has largely agreed one-year deals for the IPL’s major overseas markets, meaning it will have to return for talks when next year’s tournament rolls around.
