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MUMBAI:
Zeel-owned sports broadcaster Ten Sports has said that it
was close to signing a deal with IMG Reliance for the broadcast
rights of India's premier club competition I League and Federation
Cup, an annual knockout style football tournament.
"Ten
Sports has been supporting I league for the last 6 years and
will continue to do so if given the opportunity. We are close
to coming to an agreement with IMGR," Essel Group sports
business CEO Atul Pande told Indiantelevision.com.
He
also refuted claims by senior All India Football Federation
officials that Ten Sports backed out of the Federation Cup
deal at the last moment thereby leaving the football governing
body and the commercial rights holder IMG Reliance in lurch.
"The
claim made by some AIFF functionaries that we walked out of
the deal is baseless and without merit," Pande asserts.
To
the contrary, Pande said that the sports broadcaster will
put the property on-air as soon as it gets the feed from IMGR.
The production of the property is being taken care of by IMGR.
"IMGR
has to share feeds so that we can put it on-air," said
Pande.
According
to industry sources, IMG Reliance is out in the market for
a three year deal for both Federation Cup and I League. The
negotiation with Ten Sports is stuck because IMGR feels the
value it is being offered doesn't even cover its production
cost.
It
is talking to other national and regional broadcaster.
Earlier,
the lack to live telecast had irked clubs who were promised
by AIFF that its commercial partner IMGR was close to clinching
a three-year deal with Ten Sports which would have guaranteed
live telecast of atleast 15 games of Federation Cup and 75
games of I League.
Doordarshan
had come to the rescue of AIFF agreeing to provide live coverage
of the semi-final and final matches of the Federation Cup,
which began 19 September.
In
the previous edition of the Federation Cup, IMGR had roped
in News Time as regional broadcast partner for West Bengal
and Assam.
Pune
FC head operations and I-League Professional Football Clubs
Association' (IPFCA) general secretary Chirag Tanna is extremely
disappointed with IMGR's lack of vision for the sport.
"IMGR
has not been able to fulfill the commitments that they made
to the clubs whether its marketing of I League or the broadcast
part of it, they haven't delivered anything," Tanna lamented.
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