JioStar fully committed to honour contract with ICC

JioStar fully committed to honour contract with ICC

Leading media firm JioStar on Friday said it is fully committed to honour its contractual obligations with the International Cricket Council (ICC) in letter and spirit. The clarification comes after reports that the leading broadcaster plans to move away from the USD 3-billion contract ahead of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026.

JioStar is the joint venture created after the merger of the media business of Reliance and the India business of global media giant Walt Disney.

"Both organisations remain focused on delivering uninterrupted, world-class coverage of upcoming ICC events to fans across India, including the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, one of the sport's most anticipated global tournaments," JioStar said in a statement.

Preparations for these events are progressing exactly as planned, and there is no impact on viewers, advertisers, or industry partners. "ICC and JioStar, as long-term commercial partners, maintain regular communication on operational, commercial and strategic matters focused on the role the partnership can play in growing the sport," it said.

ICC and JioStar have noted recent media reports concerning the status of the ICC's media rights agreement in India, it said. "These reports do not reflect the position of either organisation. The existing agreement between the ICC and JioStar remains fully in force, and JioStar continues as the ICC's official media rights partner in India. Any suggestion that JioStar has withdrawn from the agreement is incorrect," the statement said.

Issuing a separate statement, ICC said, "The existing agreement between the ICC and JioStar remains fully in force, and JioStar continues as the ICC’s official media rights partner in India. Any suggestion that JioStar has withdrawn from the agreement is incorrect." The cricket body further said JioStar is fully committed to honour its contractual obligations in letter and spirit.

Earlier, there were reports that JioStar had informed the ICC will move away from the remaining two years of its four-year deal due to financial losses and that the cricket body had started exploring new bidders for the 2026-29 rights cycle.