News
IPL media rights hits jackpot!
Sold for Rs 6.2 Billion USD, makes it the world’s No.2 league; Digital rights trump TV; Disney gets TV, Viacom 18 bags digital
THE THREE-DAY e-auction of media rights for the IPL’s 2023-2027 cycle has fetched the BCCI 6.2 Billion USDs, with Disney-Star bagging TV rights for the Indian subcontinent and Viacom18/ Reliance sweeping the digital segment.
The bidding was done on a per-game basis, which means the rights holders will collectively pay the cricket board Rs 118.02 crore per match for the next five-year cycle. Currently, there are 74 matches in every IPL season, and the number is likely to go up. Over a five-year period, the total number is going to be 410.
Disney-Star bagged Package A – TV rights for the Indian subcontinent – for Rs 3.02 Billion USDs.
Since its inception, the IPL has been synonymous with growth & today is a red-letter day for India Cricket, with Brand IPL
— Jay Shah (@JayShah) June 14, 2022
touching a new high with e-auction resulting in INR 48,390 cr value. IPL is now the 2nd most valued sporting league in the world in terms of per
match value!
Viacom18/ Reliance, which picked up Packages B and C, will pay the board Rs 3.04 Bn USD — B covers digital rights for the Indian subcontinent and C a unique bouquet of 18 matches per season with non-exclusive digital rights for the same region
Viacom18 and Times shared Package D — world rights for TV and digital — for 1.35 Bn USDs. To put these numbers in perspective, Star India had won the IPL media rights for the 2018-2022 cycle with a composite bid of Rs 2.09 Bn USDs that included both TV and digital, paying 6.9 Mn USDs per match.
This time, the IPL media rights value saw a three-fold increase with digital turning out to be the key component. After setting the combined base price at 4.2 Bn USDs, the BCCI expected a windfall in excess of 5.7 Bn USDs — and it wasn’t off the mark. Doing away with composite bids, with an eye on higher bids in the digital segment, marked the highlight of its business strategy.
“India has seen a digital revolution & the sector has endless potential. The digital landscape has changed the way cricket is watched. It has been a big factor in the growth of the game & the Digital India vision,” BCCI secretary Jay Shah tweeted after the e-auction.
The fourth edition of the Indian Over-the-Top (OTT) Platforms Report 2021 (post-pandemic consumption), published by MICA Ahmedabad this year, showed that digital subscriptions grew by 49 per cent. Consumption was highest among viewers aged 15-34 — an age-group that caters to the IPL’s die-hard fan base.
Then again, Disney-Star’s digital platform Hotstar was instrumental in bringing about the change, taking the game to consumers’ mobile phones. The move was masterminded by Uday Shankar, the erstwhile chairman-cum-CEO of Star India, who had pulled off a Packer-like coup in cricket broadcasting in 2017. Five years down the line, Shankar was on Viacom18/Reliance’s side as the company staved off Star’s aggressive bidding, it is learnt. “The BCCI will utilise the revenue generated from IPL to strengthen our domestic cricket structure starting from grassroots, to boost infrastructure and spruce up facilities across India and enrich the overall cricket-watching experience,” Shah posted.
Thank you, @StarSportsIndia for renewing the partnership!
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) June 14, 2022
Welcome on-board @viacom18 and @TimesInternet.
This is just the start of a promising 5-year journey. We can't wait to get going. #TATAIPL
“Now, it’s time for state associations, IPL franchises to work together with the IPL to enhance the fan experience and ensure that our biggest stakeholder — ‘the cricket fan’ is well looked after and enjoys high quality cricket in world-class facilities,” he wrote.
The BCCI has already announced a substantial hike in monthly pensions of former cricketers and umpires, benefiting around 900 personnel, with effect from June 1.
The Indian Express had reported before the auction that the IPL’s per-game value for the next cycle would trump the English Premier League and make it the No. 2 sports league in the world behind the National Football League (NFL). At $15.1 million per game (converted to US dollars), the IPL comfortably leapt past the Premier League, where the broadcasters pay around $11 million per match. Shah called it a “red-letter day for Indian cricket”.
But with cricket taken seriously as a commercial proposition in just about 10 countries, the big question is: will recouping the money be a problem?
“With 60 per cent of the current advertisers being start-ups and with the muted global funding mood, it will not be easy for broadcasters to recover the investment for at least an initial couple of years of the contract period…(They) may have to go through a rough period,” Himanshu Arora, co-founder of marketing and advertising agency Social Panga, told The Indian Express.
As for cricket, according to an IPL franchise executive, an exponential growth in media rights revenue is likely to increase the team purse also. At the moment, it has been set at 1.2 Mn USDs and 1.284 Mn USDs for the next two years.
Source: The Indian Express
IPL විකාශන අයිතිය කෝටි ගණනින් රැස්කරයි!
ඉදිරි වසර පහ රූපවාහිනි විකාශන සහ ඩිජිටල් අයිතිය හිමි අය එක් තරගයකට ඩොලර් මිලියන 1.5 ක් ක්රිකට් පාලක මණ්ඩලයට ගෙවනු ඇත.
අයි.පී.එල් T20 ක්රිකට් ඉදිරි වසර 5 සඳහා (2023 සිට 2027 දක්වා) විකාශන වෙන්දේසිය කෙරේ. ඉන්දීය ක්රිකට් පාලක මණ්ඩලය (BCCI) රූපවාහිනි සහ ඩිජිටල් බලපත්ර ලබා දීම සඳහා විද්යුත් වෙන්දේසියක් හරහා ඇමෙරිකානු ඩොලර් බිලියන 6.2ක් පමණ උපයා ගෙන ඇත.
පසුගිය ඉරිදා ආරම්භ වූ මෙම විද්යුත් වෙන්දේසිය සඳහා ප්රමුඛ පෙළේ සමාගම් රැසක් සහභාගී විය. බලාපොරොත්තු වූ පරිදිම මෙවර අයි.පී.එල්. ‘වටිනාකම’ අහස උසට නැග්ගා.
ක්රීඩාවක් පදනම් කරගෙන වෙන්දේසිය සිදු කර ඇත. ඒ කියන්නේ ඉදිරි වසර පහක ටී.වී. විකාශන සහ ඩිජිටල් අයිතිය හිමි අය එක් තරගයකට ඩොලර් මිලියන 1.5 ක් ක්රිකට් පාලක මණ්ඩලයට ගෙවනු ඇත. දැනට සෑම IPL තරග වාරයකම තරග 74ක් පැවැත්වෙන බැවින් එම සංඛ්යාව ඉහළ යාමට ඉඩ ඇත. වසර පහක කාලය තුළ මුළු තරගය සංඛ්යාව 410 කි.
ඩිස්නි-ස්ටාර් ඉන්දියානු උප මහද්වීපයේ රූපවාහිනී අයිතිය (පැකේජය A) ඩොලර් බිලියන 3.0 කට ලබා ගනී. Viacom 18 විසින් Package B සහ C Package ඩොලර් බිලියන 3.04 කට අත්පත් කර ගන්නා ලදී. B පැකේජයට ඉන්දියානු උපමහාද්වීපයට ඩිජිටල් හිමිකම් ඇතුළත් වේ. පැකේජය C යනු එම කලාපය සඳහාම සුවිශේෂී ඩිජිටල් හිමිකම් සහිත වාරයකට තරඟ 18ක් සහිත විශේෂ පැකේජයකි.
B පැකේජය එක සමාගමකට පවරාගෙන C පැකේජය තවත් සමාගමකට පවරා ගත්තොත් විකාශනය කිරීමේදී ගැටලු ඇති වෙනවා. මීට අමතරව, Package C යනු ආරම්භක තරගය, ප්ලේ-ඕෆ් සහ අවසන් තරඟ ඇතුළුව, එක් එක් වාරයේ නිශ්චිත ක්රීඩා 18ක් සඳහා ඉන්දියානු උපමහාද්වීපය සඳහා වූ සුවිශේෂී ඩිජිටල් බලපත්රය වේ. එබැවින් වෙන්දේසියේදී පරීක්ෂාවට ලක් වූ Viacom 18 විසින් මෙම පැකේජ දෙක අත්පත් කර ගන්නා ලදී. හැබැයි BCCI එක පැකේජ් සිස්ටම් එකේ මෙහෙම චෙක් එකක් තියාගෙන අයිතිය විකුණලා තියෙනවා.
අවසාන කොටස (පැකේජය D) යනු සෙසු ලෝකය සඳහා රූපවාහිනියයි. විකාශන සහ ඩිජිටල් බලපත්ර Viacom 18 සහ Times විසින් ඩොලර් මිලියන 13.5 කට බෙදා ගන්නා ලදී. මේ සියල්ල ඉලක්කම් ලෙස සඳහන් කළහොත් අයි.පී.එල්. T20 ක්රිකට් ඉදිරි වසර 5 සඳහා (2023 සිට 2027 දක්වා) විකාශය කෙරේ. විකාශන සහ ඩිජිටල් බලපත්ර යන දෙකම ඇතුළුව එක් තරගයකට ඇමෙරිකානු ඩොලර් මිලියන 6.4ක් ඩොලර් බිලියන 2.04ක් ගෙවා ස්ටාර් ඉන්ඩියා වෙන්දේසිය ජයගෙන ඇත.
මෙවර IPL විකාශන අයිතියේ වටිනාකම තුන් ගුණයකින් වැඩි වී ඩිජිටල් හරයක් බවට පත් විය. එක්සත් ජනපද ඩොලර් බිලියන 4.21 ක ඒකාබද්ධ මූලික මිලක් නියම කිරීමෙන් පසු, BCCI වෙන්දේසිය එක්සත් ජනපද ඩොලර් බිලියන 5.7 ඉක්මවා යනු ඇතැයි අපේක්ෂා කළේය. නමුත් BCCI බලාපොරොත්තු වූවාට වඩා වැඩි මුදලක් ලබා ගත්තා. විශේෂයෙන්ම ඩිජිටල් අංශයේ එය BCCI විසින් පුරෝකථනය කළ සංඛ්යාව ඉක්මවා ගියේය.
“ඉන්දියාව ඩිජිටල් විප්ලවයක් දැක ඇති අතර එම අංශයට නිමක් නැති ශක්තියක් ඇත. ඩිජිටල් භූ දර්ශනය ක්රිකට් බලන ආකාරය වෙනස් කර ඇත. මෙය ක්රීඩාවේ දියුණුවට සහ ඩිජිටල් ඉන්දියාවේ දැක්මට විශාල සාධකයක් විය, ”යැයි BCCI ලේකම් ජේ ෂා විද්යුත් වෙන්දේසියෙන් පසුව ට්වීට් කළේය.
Since its inception, the IPL has been synonymous with growth & today is a red-letter day for India Cricket, with Brand IPL
— Jay Shah (@JayShah) June 14, 2022
touching a new high with e-auction resulting in INR 48,390 cr value. IPL is now the 2nd most valued sporting league in the world in terms of per
match value!
MICA අහමදාබාද් විසින් මෙම වසරේ නිකුත් කරන ලද Indian Over-the-Top (OTT) වේදිකා වාර්තාව 2021 (පශ්චාත් ආසාදන පරිභෝජනය) හි සිව්වන සංස්කරණය පෙන්නුම් කරන්නේ ඩිජිටල් දායකත්වයන් සියයට 49 කින් වර්ධනය වී ඇති බවයි. වයස අවුරුදු 15-34 අතර ප්රේක්ෂකයින් අතර පරිභෝජනය ඉහළ මට්ටමක පැවතුනි – IPL හි උද්යෝගිමත් රසික පිරිසට සේවය කරන වයස් කාණ්ඩය ඉහළ ගොස් ඇති බව වාර්තාව පවසයි.
Disney-Hotstar ඩිජිටල් වේදිකාවේ මෙතරම් විශාල වෙනසක් ගෙන ඒම ගැන ආඩම්බර වේ. සමාගමේ සභාපති සහ ප්රධාන විධායක නිලධාරී උදය ශංකර් 2017 වසරේ ක්රිකට් විකාශන අයිතිය සඳහා තරඟ වදියි. ශංකර් මෙවර Viacom 18 සඳහාද එයම කර ඇත. ඔහු උපායමාර්ගිකයෙකු ලෙස කටයුතු කර වෙන්දේසිය අවසන් කර ඇත. ස්ටාර් සමාගම වෙන්දේසියේ දී වඩාත් ආක්රමණශීලී ලෙස ලංසු තබා ඇති බව දන්නා කරුණකි.
“IPL මගින් උපයන ආදායම BCCI විසින් අපගේ දේශීය ක්රිකට් යටිතල පහසුකම් ශක්තිමත් කිරීමට, යටිතල පහසුකම් වැඩිදියුණු කිරීමට, ඉන්දියාව පුරා පහසුකම් වැඩිදියුණු කිරීමට සහ සමස්ත ක්රිකට් නැරඹීමේ අත්දැකීම වැඩි දියුණු කිරීමට භාවිතා කරනු ඇත,” ෂෝ පැවසීය.
ඔහු වැඩිදුරටත් පැවසුවේ, “ප්රේක්ෂකයින්ගේ අත්දැකීම් වැඩිදියුණු කිරීමට සහ අපගේ විශාලතම හවුල්කරු වන ‘ක්රිකට් රසිකයා’ උසස් තත්ත්වයේ ක්රිකට් ගැන හොඳින් සැලකිලිමත් වන බව සහතික කිරීම සඳහා රාජ්ය සංගම් සහ IPL හිමිකරුවන් IPL සමඟ අත්වැල් බැඳ ගැනීමට කාලයයි. ලෝක මට්ටමේ පහසුකම්.” කාලයයි
හිටපු ක්රිකට් ක්රීඩකයන්ගේ සහ විනිසුරුවරුන්ගේ මාසික විශ්රාම වැටුප සැලකිය යුතු ලෙස වැඩි කිරීමට BCCI දැනටමත් නිවේදනය කර ඇත. සේවක සේවිකාවන් 900කට පමණ මෙයින් ප්රතිලාභ ලැබේ. මෙම යෝජනා ක්රමය ජුනි 1 වැනිදා සිට ක්රියාත්මක වන බව වාර්තා වේ.
මීළඟ චක්රය සඳහා IPL හි එක් ක්රීඩාවකට වටිනාකම ඉංග්රීසි ප්රිමියර් ලීගය පරාජය කර එය ජාතික පාපන්දු ලීගයට (NFL) පිටුපසින් ලොව අංක 2 ක්රීඩා ලීගය බවට පත් කරනු ඇති බව Indian Express වෙන්දේසියට පෙර වාර්තා කර තිබුණි. එක් ක්රීඩාවකට ඩොලර් මිලියන 15.1 බැගින් (එක්සත් ජනපද ඩොලර් බවට පරිවර්තනය කරන ලදී), IPL ප්රිමියර් ලීගය පසුකර යාමට පහසු විය, එහිදී විකාශකයින් තරගයකට ඩොලර් මිලියන 11ක් පමණ ගෙවයි. ෂා එය හැඳින්වූයේ “ඉන්දියානු ක්රිකට් සඳහා රතු අකුරු දිනයක්” ලෙසිනි.
නමුත් රටවල් 10 ක පමණ වාණිජමය යෝජනාවක් ලෙස ක්රිකට් බැරෑරුම් ලෙස සලකන විට විශාල ප්රශ්නය වන්නේ: මුදල් ආපසු ගැනීම ගැටලුවක් ද?
“වර්තමාන වෙළඳ දැන්වීම්කරුවන්ගෙන් සියයට 60 ක් ආරම්භකයින් වීම සහ නිහඬ ගෝලීය අරමුදල් මනෝභාවය සමඟ, කොන්ත්රාත් කාල සීමාවේ අවම වශයෙන් ආරම්භක වසර කිහිපයක් සඳහා ආයෝජනය ආපසු ලබා ගැනීම විකාශකයින්ට පහසු නොවනු ඇත … (ඔවුන්ට) තිබිය හැක. රළු කාල පරිච්ඡේදයක් පසුකර යාමට,” අලෙවිකරණ සහ ප්රචාරණ ආයතනය වන Social Panga හි සම-නිර්මාතෘ Himanshu Arora The Indian Express වෙත පැවසීය.
ක්රිකට් සම්බන්ධයෙන් ගත් කල, IPL ෆ්රැන්චයිස් විධායකයෙකුට අනුව, මාධ්ය හිමිකම් ආදායමේ ඝාතීය වර්ධනයක් කණ්ඩායමේ පසුම්බිය ද වැඩි කිරීමට ඉඩ ඇත. මේ මොහොතේ, එය ඉදිරි වසර දෙක සඳහා ඩොලර් මිලියන 1.2 ක් සහ ඩොලර් මිලියන 1.284 ක් ලෙස සකසා ඇත.
මූලාශ්රය: ඉන්දියන් එක්ස්ප්රස්
ஐபிஎல் ஒளிபரப்பு உரிமை கோடிகளை குவித்தது!
அடுத்த ஐந்தாண்டு டி.வி. ஒளிபரப்பு மற்றும் டிஜிட்டல் உரிமையை வைத்திருப்பவர்கள் ஒரு போட்டிக்கு 1.5 மில்லியன் அமெரிக்க டாலர்கள் கிரிக்கெட் வாரியத்திற்குச் செலுத்துவார்கள்.
ஐ.பி.எல். டி20 கிரிக்கெட் போட்டிகளை அடுத்த 5 ஆண்டுக்கு (2023 முதல் 2027-ம் ஆண்டு வரை) டி.வி. ஒளிபரப்பு மற்றும் டிஜிட்டல் உரிமம் வழங்குவதற்கான மின்னணு ஏலம் மூலம் இந்திய கிரிக்கெட் கட்டுப்பாட்டு வாரியம் (பிசிசிஐ) சுமார் 6.2 பில்லியன் அமெரிக்க டாலர்கள் ஈட்டியுள்ளது.
கடந்த ஞாயிற்றுக்கிழமை தொடங்கிய இந்த மின்னணு ஏலத்தில் பல்வேறு முன்னணி நிறுவனங்கள் கலந்து கொண்டன. முன்னர் எதிர்பார்த்தபடியே இம்முறையும் ஐ.பி.எல். ‘மதிப்பு’ தாறுமாறாக எகிறியது.
ஏலம் ஒரு விளையாட்டின் அடிப்படையில் செய்யப்பட்டது. அதாவது அடுத்த ஐந்தாண்டு டி.வி. ஒளிபரப்பு மற்றும் டிஜிட்டல் உரிமையை வைத்திருப்பவர்கள் ஒரு போட்டிக்கு 1.5 மில்லியன் அமெரிக்க டாலர்கள் கிரிக்கெட் வாரியத்திற்குச் செலுத்துவார்கள். தற்போது, ஒவ்வொரு ஐபிஎல் சீசனிலும் 74 போட்டிகள் நடைபெறுவதால், எண்ணிக்கை உயர வாய்ப்புள்ளது. ஐந்தாண்டு காலத்தில் மொத்த எண்ணிக்கை 410 ஆக இருக்கும்.
டிஸ்னி-ஸ்டார் நிறுவனம் இந்திய துணைக்கண்டத்திற்கான டிவி உரிமையை (பேக்கேஜ் ஏ) 3.0 பில்லியன் அமெரிக்க டாலர்கள் வாங்கியது. பேக்கேஜ் பி மற்றும் பேக்கேஜ் சி-யை வியாகாம் 18 நிறுவனம் 3.04 பில்லியன் அமெரிக்க டாலர்கள் வாங்கியுள்ளது. பேக்கேஜ் பி என்பது இந்திய துணைக்கண்டத்திற்கான டிஜிட்டல் உரிமைகளை உள்ளடக்கியது. பேக்கேஜ் சி என்பது அதே பிராந்தியத்திற்கான பிரத்தியேக டிஜிட்டல் உரிமைகளுடன் ஒரு சீசனுக்கு 18 போட்டிகள் கொண்ட சிறப்பு தொகுப்பு ஆகும்.
பேக்கேஜ் பி -யை ஒரு நிறுவனமும், பேக்கேஜ் சி-யை ஒரு நிறுவனமும் கைப்பற்றினால் ஒளிபரப்புவதில் சிக்கல் ஏற்படும். அதிலும் பேக்கேஜ் சி-யானது ஒவ்வொரு சீசனிலும் தொடக்க ஆட்டம், பிளே-ஆப், இறுதிப்போட்டி உள்பட குறிப்பிட்ட 18 ஆட்டங்களுக்குரிய இந்திய துணை கண்டத்துக்கான பிரத்யேக டிஜிட்டல் உரிமம் ஆகும். எனவே ஏலத்தின் போது சுதாரித்து கொண்ட வியாகாம் 18 நிறுவனம் அந்த இரண்டு பேக்கேஜ்களையும் கைப்பற்றி விட்டது. ஆனால், பேக்கேஜ் முறையில் இப்படி ஒரு செக் வைத்து உரிமைத்தை விற்று கள்ளா கட்டியுள்ளது பிசிசிஐ.
கடைசி பிரிவான (பேக்கேஜ் டி) எஞ்சிய உலக நாடுகளுக்கான டி.வி. ஒளிபரப்பு மற்றும் டிஜிட்டல் உரிமத்தை வியாகாம் 18 மற்றும் டைம்ஸ் நிறுவங்கள் 13.5 மில்லியன் அமெரிக்க டாலர்கள் பகிர்ந்துள்ளன. இவையனைத்தையும் எண்களாக குறிப்பிட்டோமானால், ஐ.பி.எல். டி20 கிரிக்கெட் போட்டிகளை அடுத்த 5 ஆண்டுக்கு (2023 முதல் 2027-ம் ஆண்டு வரை) டி.வி. ஒளிபரப்பு மற்றும் டிஜிட்டல் உரிமம் இரண்டையும் சேர்த்து 2.04 பில்லியன் அமெரிக்க டாலர்கள் ஒரு போட்டிக்கு 6.9 மில்லியன் அமெரிக்க டாலர்கள் செலுத்தி ஸ்டார் இந்தியா ஏலத்தில் வென்றுள்ளது.
இந்த முறை, ஐபிஎல் ஒளிபரப்பு உரிமைகள் மதிப்பு மூன்று மடங்கு அதிகரித்து, டிஜிட்டல் முக்கிய அங்கமாக மாறி இருந்தது. ஒருங்கிணைந்த அடிப்படை விலையை 4.21 பில்லியன் அமெரிக்க டாலர்கள் நிர்ணயித்த பிறகு, பிசிசிஐ 5.7 பில்லியன் அமெரிக்க டாலர்கள் மேல் ஏலம் செல்லும் என்று எதிர்பார்த்தது. ஆனால் எதிர்பார்த்ததை அதிமாகவே பிசிசிஐக்கு கிடைத்துள்ளது. குறிப்பாக டிஜிட்டல் பிரிவில் பிசிசிஐ கணித்த எண்ணை தாண்டியது.
“இந்தியா ஒரு டிஜிட்டல் புரட்சியைக் கண்டுள்ளது மற்றும் இந்தத் துறைக்கு முடிவில்லா ஆற்றல் உள்ளது. டிஜிட்டல் நிலப்பரப்பு கிரிக்கெட் பார்க்கும் முறையை மாற்றிவிட்டது. இது விளையாட்டின் வளர்ச்சிக்கும் டிஜிட்டல் இந்தியா பார்வைக்கும் ஒரு பெரிய காரணியாக இருந்தது,” என்று பிசிசிஐ செயலாளர் ஜெய் ஷா மின்-ஏலத்திற்குப் பிறகு ட்வீட் செய்துள்ளார்.
Since its inception, the IPL has been synonymous with growth & today is a red-letter day for India Cricket, with Brand IPL
— Jay Shah (@JayShah) June 14, 2022
touching a new high with e-auction resulting in INR 48,390 cr value. IPL is now the 2nd most valued sporting league in the world in terms of per
match value!
இந்த ஆண்டு MICA அகமதாபாத் வெளியிட்ட இந்தியன் ஓவர்-தி-டாப் (OTT) பிளாட்ஃபார்ம்கள் அறிக்கை 2021 (தொற்றுக்குப் பிந்தைய நுகர்வு) இன் நான்காவது பதிப்பு, டிஜிட்டல் சந்தாக்கள் 49 சதவீதம் வளர்ச்சியடைந்துள்ளது என்பதைக் காட்டுகிறது. 15-34 வயதிற்குட்பட்ட பார்வையாளர்களிடையே நுகர்வு அதிகமாக இருந்தது – ஐபிஎல்-ன் தீவிர ரசிகர் பட்டாளத்தை பூர்த்தி செய்யும் வயதுக் குழு அதிகரித்துள்ளது என்றும் அந்த அறிக்கையில் கூறப்பட்டுள்ளது.
டிஜிட்டல் பிளாட்ஃபார்மில் பெரிய மாற்றத்தை கொண்டு வந்த பெருமை டிஸ்னி-ஹாட்ஸ்டார்யே சாரும். அந்நிறுவனத்தின் தலைவர் மற்றும் தலைமை நிர்வாக அதிகாரியான உதய் ஷங்கர் கடந்த 2017ல் கிரிக்கெட் ஒளிபரப்பு உரிமையை பெறுவதில் படுமும்முரம் காட்டினார். அதையே இம்முறை வியாகாம் 18 நிறுவனத்திற்காக செய்துள்ளார் ஷங்கர். அவர் தந்திரவாதியாக செயல்பட்டு ஏலத்தை முடித்து வைத்துள்ளார். ஸ்டார் நிறுவனம் மிகவும் ஆக்ரோஷமான ஏலத்தில் களமாடியதாக அறியப்படுகிறது.
“ஐபிஎல் மூலம் கிடைக்கும் வருவாயை அடிமட்டத்தில் இருந்து தொடங்கி நமது உள்நாட்டு கிரிக்கெட் கட்டமைப்பை வலுப்படுத்தவும், உள்கட்டமைப்பை அதிகரிக்கவும், இந்தியா முழுவதும் வசதிகளை மேம்படுத்தவும், ஒட்டுமொத்த கிரிக்கெட் பார்க்கும் அனுபவத்தை வளப்படுத்தவும் பிசிசிஐ பயன்படுத்தும்” என்று ஷா பதிவிட்டுள்ளார்.
மேலும் அவர் “இப்போது, மாநில சங்கங்கள், ஐபிஎல் உரிமையாளர்கள் ஐபிஎல் உடன் இணைந்து ரசிகர்களின் அனுபவத்தை மேம்படுத்துவதற்கும், எங்களின் மிகப்பெரிய பங்குதாரரான ‘கிரிக்கெட் ரசிகன்’ உலகத்தரம் வாய்ந்த வசதிகளில் உயர்தர கிரிக்கெட்டை நன்கு கவனித்து, அனுபவிப்பதை உறுதிசெய்யும் நேரம் இது.” என்று தெரிவித்து இருந்தார்.
பிசிசிஐ ஏற்கனவே முன்னாள் கிரிக்கெட் வீரர்கள் மற்றும் நடுவர்களின் மாதாந்திர ஓய்வூதியத்தில் கணிசமான உயர்வை அறிவித்துள்ளது. இதன் மூலம் சுமார் 900 பணியாளர்கள் பயனடைவார்கள். இந்த திட்டம் ஜூன் 1 முதல் அமலுக்கு வரும் என்று தெரிவிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.
இந்தியன் எக்ஸ்பிரஸ் ஏலத்திற்கு முன், ஐபிஎல்லின் அடுத்த 5 ஆண்டுக்கான ஒரு ஆட்டத்தின் மதிப்பு இங்கிலீஷ் பிரீமியர் லீக்கைத் தள்ளி, தேசிய கால்பந்து லீக்கிற்கு (NFL) பின் உலகின் நம்பர் 2 ஸ்போர்ட்ஸ் லீக்கை உருவாக்கும் என்று தெரிவித்திருந்தது. அங்கு ஒளிபரப்பாளர்கள் ஒரு போட்டிக்கு 11 மில்லியன் டாலர்கள் செலுத்துகிறார்கள். ஆனால் நேற்றை ஏல முடிவில் ஒரு ஆட்டத்திற்கு 15.1 மில்லியன் டாலர்களை ஐபிஎல் பிரீமியர் லீக் ஒளிபரப்பாளர்கள் செலுத்த இருக்கிறார்கள். ஷா இதை “இந்திய கிரிக்கெட்டின் சிவப்பு எழுத்து நாள்” என்று அழைத்திருந்தார்.
ஆனால் சுமார் 10 நாடுகளில் கிரிக்கெட் ஒரு வணிக முன்மொழிவாக தீவிரமாக எடுத்துக் கொள்ளப்படுவதால், பெரிய கேள்வி என்னவென்றால்: பணத்தை திரும்பப் பெறுவது ஒரு பிரச்சனையாக இருக்குமா? என்பது தான்.
“தற்போதைய விளம்பரதாரர்களில் 60 சதவீதம் பேர் ஸ்டார்ட்-அப்களாகவும், உலகளாவிய நிதியுதவியின் முடக்கப்பட்ட மனநிலையுடனும் இருப்பதால், ஒப்பந்தக் காலத்தின் தொடக்கத்தில் ஓரிரு ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முதலீட்டை மீட்டெடுப்பது ஒளிபரப்பாளர்களுக்கு எளிதாக இருக்காது…(அவர்கள்) ஒரு கடினமான காலகட்டத்தை கடக்க வேண்டும்,” என சமூக பங்கா சந்தைப்படுத்தல் மற்றும் விளம்பரப்படுத்தல் நிறுவனத்தின் இணை நிறுவனர் ஹிமான்ஷு அரோரா தி இந்தியன் எக்ஸ்பிரஸ்ஸிடம் தெரிவித்தார்.
கிரிக்கெட்டைப் பொறுத்தவரை, ஐபிஎல் உரிமையாளரின் நிர்வாகியின் கூற்றுப்படி, ஒளிபரப்பு உரிமைகள் வருவாயில் அபரிமிதமான வளர்ச்சியானது அணியின் பர்ஸை அதிகரிக்க வாய்ப்புள்ளது. தற்போது, 95 கோடியாகவும், அடுத்த இரண்டு ஆண்டுகளுக்கு 1.2 மில்லியன் அமெரிக்க டாலர்கள் நிர்ணயிக்கப்பட்ட வாய்ப்புள்ளது என்று குறிப்பிட்டுள்ளார்கள்.
Football
Sri Lanka U20 Women’s Football Hits Rock Bottom at SAFF Championship Amid Continued National-Level Crisis
The Sri Lanka U20 Women’s Team endured a disappointing campaign at the SAFF U20 Women’s Championship 2025, suffering two heavy defeats with one group match left to play. In their opening encounter, Sri Lanka was thrashed 9 -1 by Bangladesh, followed by a 5-0 loss against Bhutan, indicating a deeper crisis in the country’s women’s football structure.


These back-to-back losses highlight the grim state of the women’s football program, especially when placed alongside the senior team’s exit from the AFC Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers earlier this year without a single win. This trend reflects not just a lack of preparation, but an institutional failure to establish a developmental pipeline or strategic plan.

What’s even more concerning is the absence of visible recovery mechanisms from the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL). Instead of addressing systemic issues—such as lack of coaching standards, insufficient grassroots investment, and poor player welfare—key decision-makers appear more focused on the upcoming FFSL elections. Behind-the-scenes politics continue to stall any meaningful progress in women’s football development.

Despite the promising young talent in Sri Lanka, the gap in fitness, tactical training, and match readiness compared to regional rivals is growing wider. Without immediate technical reforms and leadership that prioritizes performance over politics, the future of women’s football in the country remains uncertain.
With one more match against a strong Nepal side, the prospects of a comeback look bleak, unless there is a radical shift in how the game is managed from the ground up.
News
South Asian Karate Championship 2025: India and Sri Lanka Shine as Karate Celebrates 50 Years in Sri Lanka
Colombo, July 5–6, 2025 – The 9th South Asian Karate Championship and the 1st South Asian Youth Karate Championship successfully concluded at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium, marking a landmark moment in Sri Lanka’s martial arts history as the nation celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the Sri Lanka Karate Federation.
This prestigious two-day event was jointly organized by the South Asian Karate Federation and the Sri Lanka Karate Federation, which is registered under the Ministry of Sports as one of the seven official sports federations in the country.
Day 1 (July 5) – Youth Championship Dominated by India and Sri Lanka
The opening day featured intense youth-level competition with over 700 athletes from seven South Asian nations – Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and the Maldives – competing in age categories below 14.
🥇 Youth Medal Standings (U-14 Category):
- India – 22 Medals (1st Place)
- Nepal – 20 Medals (2nd Place)
- Sri Lanka – 10 Medals (3rd Place)
📺 Watch Day 1 Highlights:
Final Day (July 6) – Sri Lanka Takes Youth Title, India Clinches Senior Crown
The second day of the tournament featured both senior and youth finals. In a historic achievement, Sri Lanka emerged champions in the Youth Division, while India secured the Senior Team Championship, continuing their regional dominance.
Final Team Standings:
- Senior Category:
- 🥇 India (Champions)
- 🥈 Nepal (Runners-up)
- 🥉 Sri Lanka (Third Place)
- Youth Category:
- 🥇 Sri Lanka (Champions)
- 🥈 India (Runners-up)
- 🥉 Nepal (Third Place)
Watch Final Day Highlights:
Special Guests & Recognition
The event was graced by His Excellency Akio Isomata, the Japanese Ambassador to Sri Lanka, who attended as the Chief Guest, acknowledging Sri Lanka’s long-standing contribution to the growth of karate in South Asia.
Also present was Bharat Sharma, President of the South Asian Karate Federation, who praised the standard of competition and Sri Lanka’s organizing excellence.
Karate in Sri Lanka – 50 Years of Legacy
This championship coincided with the 50th Anniversary of the Sri Lanka Karate Federation, which has played a vital role in shaping karate talent nationally and internationally. With continued support from the Ministry of Sports, karate remains one of Sri Lanka’s fastest-growing combat sports.
Football
Sri Lanka Women Finish Qualifiers with 0 Goals, 20 Conceded – Who Will Take Responsibility?
Colombo, July 3 – Sri Lanka Women’s National Football Team wrapped up their AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers campaign with a third straight defeat — a 2-0 loss to Laos — confirming their position at the bottom of Group F, with 0 wins, 0 goals scored, and 18 conceded in just three games.
But beyond the scorelines lies a far more serious issue: a complete collapse of women’s football development in Sri Lanka. And this time, the blame does not lie on one individual — but on a system that has failed the sport, from top to bottom.

Match-by-Match Recap
Match 1: Sri Lanka 0 – 10 Uzbekistan
- Possession: 30%
- Shots on Target: 0
- xG: 0.0 vs Uzbekistan’s 3.60
- A game that exposed a lack of preparation, structure, and fitness from the very start.
Match 2: Sri Lanka 0 – 8 Nepal
- Possession: 50%
- Defensive errors gifted goals, including a hat-trick by Sabitra Bhandari.
- xG: Nepal 3.76 vs Sri Lanka 0.60
- Tactical breakdown: Midfield collapsed under pressure, backline failed to close space.
Match 3: Sri Lanka 0 – 2 Laos
- Possession: 50%
- Shots on Target: 5
- xG: 2.56 (Laos) vs 1.08 (Sri Lanka)
- A more balanced performance, but defensive lapses in the 73rd and 90+2 minutes led to defeat. Sri Lanka couldn’t convert chances despite their best game statistically.
Final Group Standings – Group F
Team | MP | GF | GA | GD | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
🇳🇵 Nepal | 2 | 17 | 0 | +17 | 6 |
🇺🇿 Uzbekistan | 2 | 17 | 0 | +17 | 6 |
🇱🇦 Laos | 2 | 2 | 16 | -14 | 0 |
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | 3 | 0 | 20 | -20 | 0 |
Tactical Issues Across All Matches
- No clear formation or transition play.
- Lack of defensive coordination — players failed to track runners, especially on the flanks.
- No attacking identity — only 1.08 xG across three games.
- In-game management absent — few substitutions or tactical shifts despite being outplayed.
While public criticism often targets the President of the Football Federation, this decline in women’s football runs deeper:
Who Is Accountable? Not Just the President
Women’s Football Committee:
- Failed to organize any domestic tournament in recent years.
- Selected the squad via open trials, with no league performance data to back selections.
- No consistent training camps or fitness programs.
Executive Committee:
- Remains silent on the recurring failures.
- No inquiries, reviews, or structural reforms have followed Sri Lanka’s repeated humiliations — including the U20 Women’s SAFF defeat earlier this year.
Technical & Development Staff:
- No tactical framework or youth development.
- No modern coaching methods or international exposure for players.
The Bigger Problem: Silence and Stagnation
Sri Lanka is not just losing matches — it’s losing direction. The current state of women’s football is not the result of one bad campaign. It’s the product of years of neglect, political appointments, and a failure to treat women’s football with equal priority.
Even now, there is no explanation from the Executive Committee on how the women’s team was prepared or what plans exist for recovery.
Time for a Reset, Not Excuses
If Sri Lanka is serious about competing in international football, the following must be addressed:
- ✅ A national women’s league
- ✅ Provincial and school-level competitions
- ✅ Professional coaching staff and structured fitness programs
- ✅ Regular international friendlies and camps
- ✅ Transparent selection processes based on performance, not politics
🔚 Conclusion
Sri Lanka’s 2026 AFC campaign should not just be remembered for the scorelines — but as a call for change. It is time for every stakeholder — from the Women’s Committee to the Executive — to reflect, respond, and rebuild.
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