SA20 League: CSA finds no Indian TV suitors, rivals ILT20, BBL strike deals with Zee, Sony

SA20 League: Cricket South Africa (CSA) and partners Supersport are in a fix after Indian broadcasters steered clear of launching a bid for the broadcast rights of SA20, the new franchise competition. While rival T20 leagues, BigBash League and International League T20 both have deals with Sony and Zee, no suitors have stepped forward to bag the South African competition rights. This comes despite all six teams being owned by IPL franchises. Follow SA20 League live updates on Insidesport.IN

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SA20 League: South Africa’s new T20 League in troubled waters as CSA finds no Indian TV suitors, rivals ILT20, BBL strike deals with Zee, Sony – Check out

As per leading South African broadcaster Neil Manthorp, the CSA have closed the bidding for the overseas television rights on Wednesday. In what is a rude shock and certain crisis for the cash-strapped board, no Indian broadcaster had put forward a bid. This comes in after CSA had bundled the SA20 and the South Africa international cricket rights.

Manthorp’s report suggests that without an Indian TV deal, the newfound SA20 league would fail to sutain and will have to shut shop much like the previous two attempts by the CSA. While the tournament has managed to attract a plethora of foreign superstars it has failed to convince the Indian broadcast giants – Star, Sony, Zee and Viacom 18 to invest in their product.

SA20 will collide with the Big Bash League and the International League T20 (ILT20) both who have managed to find broadcast deals in the Indian market. Big Bash’s current rights are with Sony, while Zee signed a lucrative $120m deal with the ILT20 stakeholders.

SA20 League: South Africa’s new T20 League in troubled waters as CSA finds no Indian TV suitors, rivals ILT20, BBL strike deals with Zee, Sony – Check out

Having no revenue from the Indian market would set the tournament up for a collapse, with many in the Indian market believing CSA’s asking price to be steep. It is believed that Cricket South Africa (CSA) demanded an almost 6-time hike in per-match price for Proteas’ home games against India. The CSA wants $7 million or Rs 57 crore per match for one India-South Africa home game. In comparison, the last time India toured SA, Star India paid just $1.5 million per match. Star India pays BCCI 60 crore per match.

Indian broadcasters have a far lower valuation than CSA’s expected price. However, given the importance of the deal to SA20, the broadcasters are standing firm on their ground to drive the price down and bag a favourable deal. It is important to note that the SA20 League auction was broadcast and streamed in India via Reliance-backed Viacom 18’s Sport18, Voot and JioTV.

Among the cons ss that SA20 would be in a clash of schedules with the ILT20. Furthermore, South African prime time is late night in India, going well past 12. Tom Harrison, the former CEO of England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), has been appointed as a commercial consultant for the league as CSA look to find a solution. Having an Indian broadcaster is key to the survival of the new league, with the former Mzansi T20 League failing to find a deal.