CHENNAI: Cricket could be the biggest money spanner for India but the International Cricket Council seems to be expecting a revenue cut in 2028. It has apparently warned its members to expect a reduction of up to 30 per cent in 2028 when the next media rights cycle is up for renewal. This line was contained in a Dutch Cricket Board’s financial document published a few days ago.
“The ICC,” a line in the document says, “have warned to expect a 30% revenue decrease in 2028 when their media contracts come up for renewal. This knowledge necessitates KNCB to prepare immediately and do everything we can to safeguard domestic and HP cricket by taking the necessary measures.”
This could have big ramifications up and down the food chain, barring the Big Three of India, England and Australia. Most of the other cricketing nations, be it Full Members or Associate, depend on ICC funding to meet a lot of the working capital expenditures.
A 30% reduction in media contracts may be felt at all levels including player contracts, the capacity to host Test matches, running grassroot programmes and giving young players development-based contracts. Per the document, the KNCB, an Associate board, will aim to reduce their long-term dependency on ICC. To do this, some of the steps they will take are ‘attracting long-term private partnerships’ as well as ‘securing event specific partners’, including for next year’s men’s T20 WC.
Qualifying for that World Cup in India has given them a significant boost. One reason why the ICC may expect a reduction in media rights in the next cycle is the merger between Disney Star and Jio. It could result in reduced competition within the India media rights market, which usually bids aggressively for India’s international as well as prominent ICC properties like World Cup.