ICC taps SPNI, Netflix and Amazon as potential replacements to JioStar

Amid uncertainty over the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) media rights deal with JioStar, the global cricket body has approached Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI), Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video to explore a potential takeover. The outreach follows JioStar’s intimation that it intends to withdraw from its 2024–2027 rights agreement, originally valued at 3 billion USD, ahead of next year’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

While the ICC has formally initiated discussions with alternate platforms, industry experts caution that a mid-cycle transition may be difficult to execute within the tight timeline. “They need to finalise a partner by February before the T20 World Cup. It will be tough, and renegotiating with JioStar at a reduced price may eventually be the only feasible option,” a senior industry executive noted.

Before the current cycle, Star Sports held the global broadcast rights for all ICC events from 2015 to 2023 through a competitive tender, delivering exclusive live and highlights coverage across marquee tournaments such as the ICC Cricket World Cup, ICC Women’s World Cup, ICC World Twenty20, ICC Champions Trophy, and ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup. The broadcaster also managed global syndication, distributing content across more than 220 territories and reaching an estimated audience of 1.5 billion.

The latest turbulence stems from JioStar’s notice expressing its inability to continue the remaining two years of the rights cycle ending in 2027. In parallel, the ICC has started scouting for fresh partners and has reportedly initiated a new rights process for the 2026–2029 cycle, estimated to be worth around ?2.4 billion.