JioStar’s decision to abandon its long term ICC deal has thrown the cricket body’s broadcast plans for the 2026 T20 World Cup into disarray.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) is facing huge dilemma after JioStar informed the governing body of its intention to pull out of its long term media-rights agreement.
The Indian media and entertainment conglomerate’s existing deal, which runs until 2027, is believed to be worth $3bn and covers ICC’s premium tournaments, including the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026, which India is set to host.
JioStar’s decision is understood to be driven largely by financial pressure, with the company’s recent filings showing a rise in expected losses from sports-content deals, with provisions more than doubling in a year.
The gap between increasing acquisition costs and recoverable revenue has widened, making the current rights package increasingly difficult to monetise.
India’s media landscape
Across the world, media markets are racing to keep up with consumer habits, new technology and rising production costs. However, one structural change has had a massive impact in India, which was the blanket ban on real-money online gaming, enacted in August 2025 after Parliament passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill.
The legislation outlawed all real-money gaming, including fantasy sports, poker and rummy, with the government arguing such platforms were driving addiction, financial problems and fraud.
The ban has had a significant impact on India’s sports economy, as fantasy-sports giant Dream11, which had replaced Byju’s as India’s lead jersey sponsor in 2023 on a $39.71m (₹358 crore) deal, was one of the biggest advertisers in Indian sport, particularly cricket.
Broadcasters like JioStar relied heavily on fantasy-gaming advertising to offset expensive rights fees and drive digital engagement. With Dream11 and its competitors forced off the market, a significant revenue stream vanished, making high-value broadcast deals far harder to justify.
What happens now?
Reports suggest the ICC has already approached several potential replacements, including Sony Pictures Networks India, Netflix and Amazon Prime. While all three are expanding into live sport, reports say that none showed early interest, mainly due to the scale of the investment and the timelines involved.
If the ICC fails to secure a new bidder, the organisation retains the legal right to require JioStar to honour the remainder of its contract. However, the ICC would prefer a new partnership rather than forcing a reluctant broadcaster to continue, as reported by OTTplay.
