Bangladesh IPL and WPL broadcasts hit by media rights dispute

Dubai: A dispute over the broadcast and digital rights for the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Women’s Premier League (WPL) has surfaced in Bangladesh, affecting how fans watch these tournaments.

The issue involves JioStar India Private Limited (JioStar), the company holding the main media rights, and Excel Lead IT Solutions FZ-LLC (Excel Lead), the parent company of sports broadcaster T-Sports.

Termination of sublicence agreements

According to media reports, JioStar has terminated its Bangladesh sub-licence agreements with Excel Lead following “payment defaults.” The original agreements, signed between Viacom18 Media Private Limited (now JioStar) and Clifford Commodity DMCC, were later transferred to Excel Lead. They covered the digital exploitation of IPL and WPL rights in Bangladesh for the 2023–27 seasons.

Sources said JioStar requested payment of outstanding dues for the IPL 2025 and WPL 2025 seasons in early January 2026. Despite access to all match feeds and permission to commercially exploit the content, Excel Lead failed to settle the payments within the agreed timeline. With the cure period expired, JioStar exercised its termination rights, reclaiming all licensed media rights.

Immediate stop to broadcasts

Following the termination, Excel Lead (T-Sports) has been ordered to immediately stop broadcasting, streaming, or promoting IPL and WPL content in Bangladesh. JioStar has warned that any further use would be considered unauthorised and actionable infringement of its proprietary media rights.

The company is also considering legal action, including interim relief and injunctions, to prevent further unauthorised exploitation and protect the commercial value of these high-profile cricket properties.

Arbitration invoked against Gazi TV affiliate

Separately, JioStar has invoked arbitration against Green Bean Sports Marketing, an affiliate of Gazi TV Bangladesh, over a sublicence agreement for IPL television rights in Bangladesh covering the same 2023–27 seasons. Signals for the 2023 and 2024 IPL seasons were delivered as per the agreement, but subsequent breaches and payment issues led JioStar to terminate the contract in January 2025.

Through arbitration, JioStar seeks to resolve the disputes and enforce its contractual rights, underlining the company’s commitment to protecting its IPL and WPL media assets in Bangladesh.