Zee Enterprises sign strategic partnership with Disney Star, gets right to broadcast all ICC tournaments till 2027

After missing out on IPL and ICC media rights, Zee enterprises had nothing major on their hands for the next five years. However, ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. (ZEE) and Disney Star have now entered into a strategic partnership and with that, they now have the television rights to broadcast International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Men’s and Under-19 global events for a period of four years.

Meanwhile, just like the IPL, Disney will have the right to broadcast all the ICC tournaments on their streaming platform - Disney+Hotstar. The company spent around $3 billion to buy the media rights from the governing body of cricket and thus, the reason for Disney Star to license Zee to broadcast the matches is still unknown.

Given that, Zee now holds the exclusive television rights to broadcast ICC Men’s T20 World Cup (2024, 2026), ICC Men’s Champions Trophy (2025), and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup (2027) along with key ICC U-19 events. ICC has already agreed in principle and given a green signal to the move.

Speaking about the strategic development, Punit Goenka, MD & CEO, ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. said, “This is a first-of-its-kind partnership in the Indian media & entertainment landscape, and this association with Disney Star reflects our sharp, strategic vision for the sports business in India. As a one-stop television destination for ICC men’s cricket events until 2027, ZEE will leverage the strength of its network to offer a compelling experience for its viewers and a great return on investment for its advertisers. Long-term profitability and value-generation continue to be our areas of focus across the business, and we will always evaluate all the necessary steps that will enable us to make sports a compelling value proposition for the Company. We look forward to working with ICC and Disney Star, to enable this strategic offering for our television viewers in India.” 

K Madhavan, Country Manager & President, Disney Star said “By securing the IPL television broadcast rights for 2023-27 and now opting to retain only the digital rights for ICC tournaments for 2024-27, we have in place a balanced and robust cricket offering for our audiences across linear and digital. Over the years, Disney Star has strengthened the appeal of international cricket in India, enabling it to reach diverse age groups and cultural demographics across all parts of the country. As India’s leading media house, we will continue to do so with our strong portfolio of cricket properties across television and digital.” 

Zee is set to make their grand return in cricket

Zee, who was previously disallowed to broadcast cricket in India is set to make a return with this new strategic partnership. Zee had the official rights to broadcast ICL in India and that landed them in big trouble in the late 2010s.

Zee was a huge admirer of the game previously and used to broadcast a lot of India’s matches. Thus, their return to the scheme of things is very heartening for the fans who follow Indian cricket from the 90s.