From Paying Doordarshan to Owning the Airwaves: The BCCI’s Meteoric Financial Ascent (1986–2025)
From Paying Doordarshan to Owning the Airwaves: The BCCI’s Meteoric Financial Ascent (1986–2025) In 1986, the BCCI was a financial pauper, paying Doordarshan ₹5 lakh per match —Tests and ODIs indistinguishable in cost—while the state broadcaster monopolized advertising revenue, raking in ₹50,000 per 10-second spot during prime-time breaks. By 1993, Jagmohan Dalmiya and I.S. Bindra orchestrated a seismic reversal: selling global TV rights for the England series to Trans World International (TWI) for $600,000 (~₹1.8 crore) , with Doordarshan forced to sub-license the feed for $1 million (~₹3 crore) . The 1995 Supreme Court verdict —a 3-judge bench led by Justices Sawant, Jeevan Reddy, and Mohan—declared telecast rights a commercial commodity under Article 19(1)(a), shattering Doordarshan’s monopoly. From annual revenues of under ₹10 crore in the late 1980s, BCCI soared to ₹9,742 crore in FY24 and projects ₹10,500 crore in FY25. The IPL , launched in 2008 under Sharad Paw...