Media executive Uday Shankar said Disney Star miscalculated the true commercial worth of a cricket broadcast right, according to reporting by Exchange4Media.
Shankar, an experienced industry veteran who previously led Star India before its acquisition by The Walt Disney Company, pointed to misjudgments regarding the pricing and revenue potential tied to the sports asset. The assessment comes amid broader discussions across the Indian media and entertainment sector regarding the high valuations placed on premier sports properties.
Cricket Valuation Under Scrutiny
Cricket broadcasting rights in India represent some of the most expensive media contracts in global sport. Heavy investment in these packages has historically driven subscriber growth and television viewership across both linear networks and streaming services.
However, mounting costs have prompted ongoing industry scrutiny over whether the underlying advertising markets and consumer subscription revenues can justify escalating bid prices. According to Exchange4Media, Shankar noted that Disney Star misjudged the value associated with a specific cricket right, highlighting the financial friction points that media networks face when acquiring marquee sporting events.
Shifting Dynamics in Sports Media
Broadcasters and streaming platforms operating in the region have increasingly had to balance the massive appeal of cricket with strict commercial discipline. Aggressive competition among legacy television networks and newer digital platforms has driven content acquisition costs to historic highs, reshaping how organizations forecast profitability.
Shankar's remarks reflect the ongoing recalibration among major media firms navigating high-stakes licensing negotiations, where aggressive bids risk outpacing commercial returns if subscriber monetization and advertising yields fall short of initial projections.
