Under the third round of bidding, which closed last week, cable and satellite rival Ten Sports is thought to have offered close to $40 million, but ESS is believed to have emerged as the highest bidder. Indian pay-television broadcaster Neo Sports withdrew from the process, when the third round exceeded the $35 million mark.
The increase in rights fees is attributed to football’s increasing popularity in India and marks a significant increase on the $9 million FIFA received for the 2006 World Cup and the mere $3 million paid in 2002.
