The International Cricket Council has roped in sports media business veteran Sunil Manoharan as the vice-president for media rights.
The post was lying vacant since October last year after Aarati Dabas had resigned abruptly as the ICC media rights head.
The ICC has not made a formal announcement about Manoharan’s joining. The announcement might have also been delayed as the ICC headquarters in Dubai were closed temporarily after a number of staff members had tested positive for the COVID-19 infection.
Manohar brings with him broadcast and media rights experience of over two decades with the prime focus on cricket media rights acquisition and sales. He has also been actively involved with sports live production for the leading sports broadcasters in the Indian sub-continent and Asia.
In his last assignment with Star Sports, Manoharan has been responsible for TV rights sales on a global basis, while also managing the relationship with cricket federations and sub-licensees. He also managed the budgeting and long-range projection for syndication revenue, exploring new territories for the cricket and sports media rights business.
Prior to that Manoharan had been associated with ESPN for a long period of 13 years where he last held the position of an assistant director, syndication, for sports media rights.
While in-charge of sports rights syndication, Manoharan has generated business on key sports properties like TV rights sales on a global basis for the ICC events, BCCI events, Champions League Twenty20, Asian sales for Cricket Australia (CA) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
Manoharan has started his career in the sports broadcast business as a producer with ESPN and subsequently led the editorial teams for ESPN, Star Sports and Star Cricket. He has also been involved with the live production of numerous international cricket events across the world, besides working on other major events in sports like football and hockey.
An alumnus of St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University, and Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University, Manoharan also holds a Master’s Degree in Mass Communications from the University of Leicester.