Broadcaster JioStar is seeking an up to 50% cut in the Pro Kabaddi League's next media rights fee, while franchise owners push to protect the Rs 905 crore benchmark set in the previous cycle.

Mumbai: The Pro Kabaddi League’s next media rights deal is turning into a delicate balancing act for JioStar and its franchises, with the broadcaster seeking an up to 50% reduction in the media rights fee and team owners pushing to protect the Rs 905 crore benchmark set by the previous cycle.Negotiations have also raised concerns over competitive bidding and the risk of a collapse in media rights value like what the Indian Super League suffered, people privy to the discussions told ET.JioStar, which paid Rs 905 crore as media rights fee for five years till 2025, was incurring a loss of Rs 50-100 crore a year from PKL, according to sources.

The league’s combined television and digital viewership has stagnated at 230 million, including 190 million TV viewers.Also read: F1 TV shifts gears: FanCode takes the wheel as India’s Formula 1 fan base races ahead“Both sides are working together to determine the future of the league and identify ways to grow PKL, which is the only successful league outside cricket,” said a person privy to the discussions.Live EventsNegotiations are underway, with both sides showing flexibility.

However, if talks fail, some franchises could insist on an open bidding for the media rights.

In the previous round, there were no bidders barring JioStar, which holds a 74% stake in Mashal Sports — the company that owns and operates PKL.Franchise owners remain divided over whether an open bidding process would generate meaningful price discovery given the limited number of credible broadcasters in the market.“Everyone wants to avoid a repeat of the ISL situation, where JioStar backed out and the league’s media rights value nosedived,” said a highly placed official.In 2025, JioStar walked out of the ISL following disagreements over the commercial structure of the football league.

After JioStar’s withdrawal, the media rights value of the ISL plunged to Rs 8.62 crore from Rs....