Amazon have pulled out of the battle for IPL's digital streaming rights just two before the big E-auction. Amazon had decided not to participate in the bidding as the company did not find it a viable option for growth in India. The withdrawal leaves an open field for rivals such as Reliance Industries, which will bid through its broadcasting joint venture Viacom 18, Disney Plus Hotstar, and the India unit of Sony Corp when bidding takes place on Sunday.
Disney-owned Star India, which is one of the country's top broadcasters, along with Sony and its planned acquisition Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd, paid 163.48 billion rupees ($2.1 billion) for the rights until 2022.IPL bidding rights are seen as key to growth in India's booming online streaming market.In 2008, Sony Pictures Network won the IPL media rights for a period of 10 years with a bid of Rs 8200 crore. The global digital rights of IPL for a period of three years was awarded to Novi Digital in 2015 for 302.2 crore. The tournament was expanded from eight teams to ten teams this year with Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants being included from the 2022 season. Gujarat Titans went on to win the tournament in its maiden season last month.
