Lalit Modi

You're basically trying to extort me and, oh, yeah, rip up my contract that I have with the BCCI. You're two months into the job. Like, get lost. Right. You need me. You need me. Yeah. But of course, while it has a plan for this, he's going to do just what he did back with ESPN in the first place back in the day. It's not that hard to set up a new network. to come in and bid on these rights.

You're basically trying to extort me and, oh, yeah, rip up my contract that I have with the BCCI. You're two months into the job. Like, get lost. Right. You need me. You need me. Yeah. But of course, while it has a plan for this, he's going to do just what he did back with ESPN in the first place back in the day. It's not that hard to set up a new network. to come in and bid on these rights.

And by the way, it is now clearly, demonstrably, and provably so much more valuable than back in the day. We're now 15 years into the television penetration of India, shall we say. There are tons of other broadcasters and cable channels out there. They're just not sports channels. Well, what's a sports channel? That's just a marketing term. It's just a channel. You add another channel.

And by the way, it is now clearly, demonstrably, and provably so much more valuable than back in the day. We're now 15 years into the television penetration of India, shall we say. There are tons of other broadcasters and cable channels out there. They're just not sports channels. Well, what's a sports channel? That's just a marketing term. It's just a channel. You add another channel.

You make ABC Sports, NBC Sports, CBS Sports, Fox Sports. Anybody can do this. So Lalit goes to Sony, who's the number two broadcaster in India. He goes to Sky from the UK and says, hey, you want to enter India? And he ultimately goes to an Indian entertainment company called Nimbus, which was a broadcaster, but also didn't have a sports channel.

You make ABC Sports, NBC Sports, CBS Sports, Fox Sports. Anybody can do this. So Lalit goes to Sony, who's the number two broadcaster in India. He goes to Sky from the UK and says, hey, you want to enter India? And he ultimately goes to an Indian entertainment company called Nimbus, which was a broadcaster, but also didn't have a sports channel.

And he says to all of them, these rights are now available. Minimum bid is $500 million for four years. This is going to be very profitable for you. It's very easy to set up a sports network. I've already done it. I will help you do it. You are welcome to bid. Nimbus ends up winning the auction with a $620 million bid for four years. They set up the Nimbus Sports Channel.

And he says to all of them, these rights are now available. Minimum bid is $500 million for four years. This is going to be very profitable for you. It's very easy to set up a sports network. I've already done it. I will help you do it. You are welcome to bid. Nimbus ends up winning the auction with a $620 million bid for four years. They set up the Nimbus Sports Channel.

It, I believe, quickly becomes the number one sports channel in India. I mean, there's nothing else. Like, if you got cricket, you're the number one sports channel in India. And Starr and Rupert are out in the cold.

It, I believe, quickly becomes the number one sports channel in India. I mean, there's nothing else. Like, if you got cricket, you're the number one sports channel in India. And Starr and Rupert are out in the cold.

Yep. They've got $150 million from sponsorships. And then they've got, yeah, what's that?

Yep. They've got $150 million from sponsorships. And then they've got, yeah, what's that?

And then another $150 million from broadcast.

And then another $150 million from broadcast.

Totally unbelievable. With more potential to monetize beyond that. I mean, he got $150 million from two sponsorships. You can have more than two sponsors here. Yeah, he completely commercialized the BCCI. Transformative.

Totally unbelievable. With more potential to monetize beyond that. I mean, he got $150 million from two sponsorships. You can have more than two sponsors here. Yeah, he completely commercialized the BCCI. Transformative.

You know, he would say when he later gets kicked out of the BCCI and there's tons of controversy and everything we'll get into later, people are accusing him of self-dealing, doing all these things. He's like, I created billions of dollars of value. for cricket in India, the BCCI, the government, all the players involved from nothing. And he's absolutely right. Yep. Absolutely right.

You know, he would say when he later gets kicked out of the BCCI and there's tons of controversy and everything we'll get into later, people are accusing him of self-dealing, doing all these things. He's like, I created billions of dollars of value. for cricket in India, the BCCI, the government, all the players involved from nothing. And he's absolutely right. Yep. Absolutely right.

And by the way, he shut Rupert Burdock out of all of it. So here we are now. He's won. He's extracted his revenge. He's taken over Indian cricket. He's created the single biggest pool of money anywhere around the globe in cricket as a sport. I mean, this is way more money that we're talking about here than England or Australia or...

And by the way, he shut Rupert Burdock out of all of it. So here we are now. He's won. He's extracted his revenge. He's taken over Indian cricket. He's created the single biggest pool of money anywhere around the globe in cricket as a sport. I mean, this is way more money that we're talking about here than England or Australia or...