MUMBAI: The Prasar Bharati appears to have decided to let DD Sports go free.

CEO KS Sarma told the press on Monday while in Chennai that the public broadcaster is talking to Modi Entertainment Network with which it has an agreement for distribution, to change the pay channel into a free one, as the channel is currently drawing in revenues hardly touching Rs 200 million.

Conceived to promote local sports, DD Sports has about 27 days of cricket allotted by the Board of Cricket Control in India. That apart, the channel has only a few more fortnights of cricket whenever there is a World Cup or ICC tournament. Sarma, on a visit to meet cable operators, reportedly told newspersons that Prasar Bharati has entered into a joint venture agreement with the Global Cricket Corporation (GCC) for terrestrial broadcast rights for the Champions Trophy and World Cup 2003. The agreement stipulates that Prasar Bharati would receive a payment of Rs 10 million per match; the revenue earned from the match would be shared on 80:20 basis in favour of GCC.

As part of a plan to bolster its finances, Prasar Bharti was also looking at possibilities of exploiting prime properties on which its stations were located in 272 cities and towns across the country, Sarma said.

Click here for more headlines