The ICC has run into problems ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup. Reports reveal that Jio Hotstar, the company broadcasting ICC events in India, has informed that they will no longer be with the ICC in 2026 and 2027. This decision is reportedly due to losses. Despite the ICC approaching multiple companies at the last moment to sell media rights has yielded no results. In this situation, Prasar Bharati has entered the arena. Reports reveal that Prasar Bharati is interested in acquiring media rights for ICC events in India.
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The ICC and Jio Hotstar had signed a $3 billion contract for 2024-27. They held the broadcasting rights for ICC events in India. However, they have stated that organising these events has led to financial losses. They do not want to continue the contract while incurring losses. Following this, the ICC wants to sell broadcasting rights for the 2026-29 cycle. For this, they have demanded $2.4 million. The ICC has approached Sony, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video to purchase broadcasting rights in India. Reports reveal that these companies have not expressed interest. Consequently, this has become a problem ahead of the World Cup.
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Sources claim on this matter that Prasar Bharati is interested in purchasing rights from the ICC. ICC matches could be broadcast on Doordarshan, DD Free Dish, and their OTT app. However, meeting the conditions set by the ICC may not be possible. In that case, Prasar Bharati is planning to purchase rights for one or two tournaments. It has been learned that this initiative is being taken not just for profit, but so that Indians can watch the matches.
However, whether World Cup matches will be available on Doordarshan depends on three things: how the ICC structures the new contract, whether Jio Hotstar reverses its decision, and what final decision the Indian government takes regarding this investment.
