In the recent bidding for Indian Premier League (IPL) Cricket media rights for 2018–22, the leading mobile broadband providers emerged among the top bidders for exclusive broadcasting rights in the digital category. While Star India finally gained the exclusive broadcast rights in both the digital and non-digital categories, participation from Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio alongside Facebook confirmed that premium sports broadcasting is becoming a differentiator for telcos and OTTs. Ovum notes that compared to their global peers, Indian telcos have historically remained cautious about bidding exorbitant amounts for gaining exclusive rights to premium sports content. At the same time, the event indicates that Indian operators are now thinking more seriously about using content as a strategy to stand out in a very competitive market, rather than just filing their data pipes with engaging content to drive usage volumes.
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