New Delhi: The International Cricket Council (ICC) became a centre of criticism when reports of them overshooting their own budget surfaced after the culmination of the T20 World Cup 2024. It was made clear that ICC incurred huge losses in hosting the marquee event in the USA and the Caribbean and as it has recently turned out, that isn’t the only fallout for them.
According to a report in ESPNcricinfo, the ICC broadcast partners – Disney-Star, have raised concerns about the event, questioning whether the cricket governing body believes it delivered a worthy product that justifies the investment made in the rights and whether a better value can be derived from the deal. Several concerns were raised which the partners feel are responsible for the losses incurred.
Major concerns
– Schedulling of games: Those games which were broadcasted in the wee hours in the subcontinent brought much criticism from the fans and the officials alike, affecting the viewership significantly. Almost every game of West Indies and the notable South Africa vs Afghanistan semifinal were quoted as an example.
– Drop-in pitches: Turns out the pitches bothered the broadcasters as well! It is believed that Disney-Star conveyed their worries about the controversial drop-in pitches used at the make-shift Nassau County International Cricket Stadium during the New York leg of the tournament. The highest score achieved here was 137 and the ground also saw the two competing sides getting bowled out under 100. The pitch was rated “unsatisfactory” by the ICC and at times “satisfactory” (for the IND vs PAK group stage clash).
Disney-Star’s age-old relations with ICC
Since the 2011 ODI World Cup, Disney-Star has held the rights to every single ICC event. It was only in the last year that they acquired rights from the ICC to broadcast their events in the Indian market for the next four years in what was a deal worth just above $3 billion. It is reported that the dissatisfaction from an “age-old” partner is likely to be taken seriously as many ICC members receive annual revenue derived from the rights deal.
The report also said that discussions were held over swapping the tournament with either India in 2026 or England in 2028 in order to give more time to the venues to get ready but those thoughts were wrapped soon.
One of the other US host cities, Florida opened to criticism as well, notably due to the poor weather over there during the match days which brought into light the poor drainage system and not enough covers to protect the field. The pitch used to get ready but the wet patches on the outfield remained as such despite strong sunlight. Out of four, three matches had to be abandoned as a result.
ESPNcricinfo, which is also a part of the Walt Disney Company as Disney-Star, understands that the disappointment is limited to this event and the handling process is already underway ever since it came to light that the US leg’s budget was overshot by $20 million. The event even forced an idea of converting the 2025 ODI Champions Trophy to T20Is, but… no development had been made on this.
A recent report suggests that media conglomerate Disney-Star is unhappy with the ICC over its broadcast of the Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. Let’s take a deeper look into the concerns raised by the partners. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
