Have you ever wondered where the ICC gets all the money to organize global events, year after year? The obvious answer would be the sponsors. Well, in that case, who are the current sponsors of the International Cricket Council, ready to spend billions of dollars every year to enhance the game’s global reach and impact?
Premier Partners
Emirates: Emirates, the Dubai-based airline has been one of the lead partners of the global ICC events since 2002. They enjoy branding and promotional rights around all the major men’s and women’s tournaments organized by the ICC. The Emirates also sponsors the match officials, including the umpires and the referees, across all three formats. You might have seen the on-field umpires with ‘Fly Emirates’ written prominently on their clothing. Their last deal was renewed in 2016, for seven years. Though the official numbers were never released, the deal was reportedly in excess of $100 million. No fresh deal has been signed between the two parties, but Emirates continues to be a premier partner of the ICC.
Aramco: Aramco, a leader in integrated energy and chemicals, struck a deal with the ICC, as its premier partner in October 2022. The company has been granted naming rights for the Player of the Match awards. Like Emirates, Aramco’s partnership with the ICC was till the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup, but now they have extended their contract with the game’s governing body for another four years. Their logo would be next seen at the 2024 T20 World Cup – men’s and women’s editions in June and September. Reportedly they are paying double the amount, this time around to the ICC, than what they initially signed for in 2022. Aramco was also one of the leading sponsors in the IPL across the 2022 and 2023 editions.
Global Partners
DP World: DP World and the ICC announced a long-term partnership in June 2023, coming on board as their logistics partner. DP World is a leading provider of worldwide smart end-to-end supply chain logistics brands. As ICC’s global logistics partner, its major duty is to implement bespoke logistics solutions across its operations. It has an international presence in 75 countries across six continents and works as a perfect fit for the ICC to expand cricket globally, beyond boundaries. The contract runs till 2024, but there is a high chance of both parties extending the partnership.
Coca-Cola: The Coca-Cola Company and the ICC’s partnership goes back to 2019. The American multinational company is the official beverage partner of all the ICC events, across the men’s and women’s competitions. In December 2023, both the ICC and Coca-Cola signed a multi-million dollar sponsorship agreement. This time the duration is eight years and will cover all events across the three formats. It is reported that the agreement could be worth over $100 million or $12.5 million per year. This is a considerable increase from the $8-$10 million that the global partners currently pay.
IndusInd Bank: In September 2023, IndusInd Bank announced a multi-year global partnership with the ICC to provide a premium experience to customers, and cricket fans. The deal started at the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup in India, and the multi-year deal is reportedly valued at $24 million.
In addition to the premier partners and global partners, the ICC also enjoys deals from official supporters – NEAR and Fancraze. The Near Foundation is the ICC’s official blockchain partner till the end of 2025. They will support the ICC in increasing fan engagement, exposing the game to new audiences, and giving long-term value to the cricket-crazy fans.
In January 2022, FanCraze launched cricket NFTs in partnership with the ICC. Fans are now able to collect their own slice of cricket history through Crictos. The idea was to allow the fans to get closer to the game they love more than ever before.
The ICC earns a major chunk of its revenue from media rights and sponsorships. In December 2022, they last recorded a total revenue of $432 million. The official numbers for the last season are yet to be declared, but given the big contracts, extensions, and partnerships in the last financial year, expect the ICC coffers to be filled with truckloads of money.
Also Read: 2024 T20 World Cup: Prize Money Won By Champions Over The Years
