Star Sports shoots letter to ICC over media rights auction

Star Sports Network are the current right holders of the ICC events

Global cricketing body ICC (International Cricket Council) and the four major broadcasters, namely Star, Sony, Viacom and Zee, are at loggerheads over the media rights auction. The issue arose when all the four broadcasters turned against the ICC due to their process and some clauses mentioned in the ITT (Invitation-to-Tender) document for the upcoming auction.

Meanwhile, the ICC did make some modifications to some clauses, but they weren't enough to satisfy any of the four companies. To express their disappointment, all four decided to boycott the mock auction scheduled for the 16th and 17th, organised to make all the parties involved familiar with the process.

However, all four involved have since written to ICC over their disgruntlement pertaining to the matter. 

Star unimpressed with ICC

Star Sports has been the home to India's biggest cricket tournaments and bilateral series

One of the significantly known broadcaster and current rights holder of ICC events in world cricket, Star Sports Network, has also shot a mail to the ICC conveying their dismay. They have raised four fundamental objections outlining the flaws in the process.

Starting with what formula, the global body would arrive at a price which would determine the fair value of the four and eight-year cycle of the events. Another issue is with the need for an e-auction when the companies will be putting their best bid, considering the highest among them should be declared the winner.

The next question mark is over how close the gap between the best and second best bid should be to ensure the auction is completed in the first round itself, in case it doesn't satisfy the criteria.

The last thing mentioned in the note was common for all the four asking why the bids would be unsealed four days later on 26th August while they will be submitted on 22nd August, putting a severe interrogation point over credibility.

However, with all of this happening, ICC has decided not to change anything in ITT.

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