ICC, JioStar deny media rights rift, reaffirm India broadcast deal ahead of T20 World Cup

The International Cricket Council (ICC) and JioStar on Friday issued a joint statement firmly dismissing recent media reports that questioned the status of their India media rights agreement, asserting that the partnership remains fully intact and operational.

Clarifying the speculation, both organisations said the existing media rights agreement is “fully in force” and that JioStar continues to be the ICC’s official media rights partner in India. “Any suggestion that JioStar has withdrawn from the agreement is incorrect,” the statement said, underlining that the broadcaster remains fully committed to honouring its contractual obligations “in letter and spirit”.

The ICC and JioStar also emphasised that preparations for upcoming global tournaments are progressing as planned, with no impact on viewers, advertisers or industry partners. They reaffirmed their shared focus on delivering uninterrupted, world-class coverage of major ICC events, including the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, one of cricket’s most anticipated tournaments worldwide. The two long-term commercial partners added that they remain in regular communication on operational, commercial and strategic matters, with a shared goal of growing the sport in India.

The joint clarification comes amid reports that had surfaced just months ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup, raising questions over the broadcaster’s ability to continue with the remaining term of the India media rights deal. According to a report in The Economic Times, JioStar—controlled by Reliance Industries—had reportedly flagged concerns over mounting financial losses linked to sports content deals.

The report claimed that the broadcaster had indicated difficulty in fulfilling the remaining two years of its three-year, roughly $3 billion agreement with the ICC, which runs until 2027. It also cited the company’s audited standalone accounts, which showed provisions for anticipated losses on sports-content agreements nearly doubling in a year, from Rs 12,319 crore to Rs 25,760 crore.

These reports gained traction as the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, is scheduled to begin on February 27. However, the joint statement by the ICC and JioStar seeks to put those concerns to rest, making it clear that the partnership remains unchanged and that fans can expect seamless coverage of all upcoming ICC events.