Amazon, Reliance, Sony Vying for India Cricket Broadcast Rights
- Six firms bought the documents needed to bid in IPL auction
- E-auction for broadcast rights may draw bids worth $5 billion
Pedestrians walk past an advert for the Indian Premier League in Mumbai.
Photographer: Punit Paranjpe/AFP/Getty Images
Amazon.com Inc., The Walt Disney Co. and billionaire Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Ltd. are among those that have signaled an intention to bid for the broadcast rights of the Indian Premier League, or IPL, according to people familiar with the matter, setting the stage for an epic showdown for the prized asset in cricket-crazy India.
Besides these, Sony Group Corp., Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd., and fantasy-sports platform Dream11 have also purchased the bid-related documents from Board of Control for Cricket in India, or BCCI, people said asking not to be named as the information is not public. BCCI is the sport’s local governing body that will be conducting the online auction starting June 12.