Sony Culver Max gets Asia Cup Media Rights for USD 170 Million

Sony Culver Max won the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) media rights for the 2024-31 cycle at a base price of US$170 million in an e-auction process.

It was a 70% increase over the previous cycle, when Disney-Star had the Asia Cup rights for US$100 million between 2016 and 2023. In an unexpected situation, Sony was the lone participant because Jio-Disney did not attend the e-auction.

It is widely assumed that Jio and Disney had an internal agreement in place that required Disney to be present at the auction table, which they notified to ACC yesterday night.

However, Sony was the sole party that took part when the procedure began at 11 a.m. UAE time. M-Junction, an e-auction service provider platform, was chosen to manage the process.

The base price of the media rights global package, including digital and TV, was set at US$170 million.

The ACC media rights for the 2024-31 cycle include the Asia Cup for both men and women, as well as the U-19 and emerging teams events. Four men's Asia Cups are expected to take place during this time frame.

The ACC media rights might have expanded Jio-Disney's portfolio, which currently includes media rights to the Indian Premier League, International Cricket Council, Board of Control for Cricket in India, Cricket South Africa, and Cricket Australia. The action has put the sector in a state of bewilderment, as many expected them to gain these rights.