The SC directed Ten Sports to share 90-minute highlights of the matches daily following Prasar Bharati’s inability to accept the feed on Ten Sports’ terms.
NEW DELHI: Ten Sports has bagged exclusive telecast rights for Indo-Pakistan cricket Test series starting from January 13. Public broadcaster Prasar Bharati has been allowed to air only 90-minute highlights package of the matches daily.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed Ten Sports to share 90-minute highlights of the matches daily following solicitor general GE Vahanvadi’s plea to the SC on Prasar Bharati’s inability to accept the cricket feed on Ten Sports’ conditions.
Ten Sports wanted Prasar Bharati to carry a clean feed (with the advertisements shown on Ten Sports) of the matches on Doordarshan, and also sought a much higher fee than what the pubcaster was willing to offer.
The highlights will be telecast on Doordarshan on a 50:50 revenue sharing basis. The pubcaster will market the highlights package itself and hopes to make a tidy sum by placing ads during the highlights daily.
While it is final that Indo-Pak Test matches will not be shown live on Doordarshan, the pubcaster is still in negotiation with the Pakistan-based radio rights holder ARY to air broadcast commentary of the series on All India Radio (AIR).
Two years ago, AIR had paid $40,000 for the Indo-Pakistan series, but this time ARY is demanding $2,50,000. “The radio issue is still being worked out,” a source in Prasar Bharati told DNA.
As for the real money-spinners, one-day international (ODIs) series starting in February, Prasar Bharati is planning a live telecast on DD on a revenue-sharing basis.
The Supreme Court has asked Prasar Bharati to submit its reply to Ten Sports’ plea challenging the government’s mandatory-sharing guidelines by January 20. Ten Sports will need to file a counter-reply by January 27.
The next hearing of the court is scheduled for January 30, ahead of the ODIs. Ten Sports had moved the Bombay High Court protesting against downlinking guidelines that mandated private channels to share the feed of significant events.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}