Not saying no to sports, says Zee as it gears up for the next season of ILT20

Zee prepares for the third season of ILT20, starting from January next year.

Sports may no longer be a focus area for Zee but it is not saying no to it completely, Ashish Sehgal, Head – Integrated Advertisement Revenue, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL), has told Moneycontrol.

Zee Entertainment Enterprises’ unsuccessful bid to merge with Japanese Sony’s India business left the Indian media company with just one sports property the International League T20 (ILT20), which was launched in 2023 by  the Emirates Cricket Board, and is keen to make the most of.

The Twenty20 league is played in the United Arab Emirates across three venues — Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Sharjah Cricket Stadium and Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi — and Zee is the broadcast partner.

Still in the game

"During the merger, there were some things which we were planning but now (Punit) Goenka (ZEEL managing director and chief executive officer) has already mentioned that sports as a strategy is not there for us. But whether we will be completely out of sports, it depends on how we look at any event. We are not saying no to sports. At least I'm not saying no to sports," Sehgal said in an online interview to Moneycontrol. ILT20 CEO David White joined him in the interview.

Had the Sony deal come through, it would have allowed Zee to go ahead with a licensing agreement it was talking to with Disney Star to broadcast the International Cricket Council's (ICC) men's and under-19 tournaments for four years. It would also have plugged a vital missing link in Zee’s offerings — sports.

ILT20 is the only sporting tournament Zee has and the company has not looked at any other sport till now, Sehgal said.

Zee is putting all its might to grow the league.

"This year we've added a couple of more southern channels and are focusing more on the South where there is a viewership because there is more affinity about the UAE market because people more often travel from that side of the country to UAE. We believe that the fan base can be built more easily in the southern part of the country," Sehgal said.

In India, the league recorded a viewership of 255.4 million in its debut season and the second edition 221 million. Global viewership was 367 million for season 1 and 348 million for season 2.

Taking guard for Season 3

With the third season scheduled for January, expectations are high of a bigger fanbase. CEO White expects the league's opening ceremony to be a sellout.

"In the beginning of the league, the crowds were disappointing. But what we did in season two was we connected more with the community. We connected registered players for official cricket along with those playing street cricket," White said.

The focus will be on the opening match on January 11 in Dubai, which will be a sellout, and the final to be played on February 9, he said. “We're going to sell that out as well. The next big focus is the weekend matches,” the CEO said.

In the next couple of years, the effort will be to make the league popular, Sehgal said, adding for ILT20, India and then UAE will be the largest base.

He is also betting on the growing outbound tourism. "More Indians are travelling abroad, especially with trips to destinations like Dubai being cheaper than going to Goa. So, here is an opportunity, especially with this one time (when the ILT20 league will take place) when cricket is not available in India," Sehgal said.

With matches being played in UAE, the league has a favourable time zone, Sehgal said. White said it will take some time for it to break even. "It (breaking even) is going to take time. It's a big investment. But we believe it has (ILT20) got huge potential,” the CEO said.

Power play

In the next three to five years, there would be three to five big leagues around the world and ILT20 would be one of those, he said.

Sehgal said ILT20 is a good partnership for Zee as it gives its experience in sports.

"It (ILT20) is a good partnership to have to keep on having an experience in sports because as and when we may change the policy, if we have to, if we see that sports is becoming profitable, then at least we will have the experience of running a sports property. But our resources and our funds are not so much blocked for sports. The idea is to see how we can create this as a profitable venture for us in the coming few years," Sehgal said.