The International Cricket Council (ICC) and JioStar have both denied claims of a split after reports emerged in the Indian media suggesting their four-year India media rights deal could be ended early. “JioStar has conveyed to the ICC that it will not be able to honour the mopping-up for two remaining years of the contract,” sources said.
Had there been any truth in the story, JioStar would have pulled out of the broadcast for ICC T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka, apart from other obligations under existing rights cycle.
“The International Cricket Council (ICC) and JioStar have noted recent media reports concerning the status of the ICC’s media rights agreement in India. 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 Any suggestion that JioStar has withdrawn from the agreement is incorrect,” the statement read as quoted by NDTV Sports.
In a joint statement, the ICC and JioStar confirmed that their $3 billion media rights deal remained completely intact, confirming their commitment to providing uninterrupted, world-class programming to cricket fans across India. This statement follows earlier media reports claiming that JioStar was planning to terminate the deal due to massive financial losses sustained by the platform.
“JioStar is fully committed to honour its contractual obligations in letter and spirit. 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. 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,” the report added.
The ICC T20 World Cup 2026, to be staged in India and Sri Lanka, will commence on February 7 with Pakistan taking on the Netherlands in Colombo during the opening round of matches. And the final is scheduled to be played March 8.
