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Late last month just before the commencement of the India-Pakistan one-day
cricket series in Pakistan, in an interim observation SC had endorsed a compromise
formula reached between DD and Ten Sports wherein DD agreed to carry Ten Sports
feed, along with its logo and ads, on payment of Rs. 150 million. However,
the very fact that BCCI will decide on the marketing agency for cricket televised
on DD and the quantum of revenue generated has irked Prasar Bharati, which manages
DD and All India Radio. In a letter to the BCCI, Prasar Bharati CEO KS Sarma
has said propriety demanded that the cricket board should have consulted it before
issuing the marketing tender. Pointing out that BCCI's $ 100 million floor
limit for marketing rights for cricket on DD, is "way off the mark on the
higher side," a senior official of Prasar Bharati today counter punched,
"First, why should some body else market programmes on DD? Then, BCCI's premise
of awarding the rights to some agency is wrong." Why wrong? According
to Prasar Bharati, if a third agency markets cricket for DD, then the pubcaster's
share of revenue --- 25 per cent as mandated by the government --- will fall.
Reason: marketing and advertising agencies will take their cut of 15 per cent
each as commission. "If this happens, then it would mean DD will get
one fourth of 70 per cent instead of 85 per cent as the marketing agency too would
take its normal cut of 15 per cent commission," the Prasar Bharati official
explained. But these arguments, as enlisted in Sarma's letter to the BCCI,
are failing to cut much ice with the cricket authorities. At least till now. "We
will re-issue the marketing tender and if Prasar Bharati is so concerned about
its revenues, then it can also bid for the rights," Modi retorted. Interestingly,
Prasar Bharati feels that it should be "given an opportunity to match"
a quote from a marketing agency. BCCI to go ahead with FM radio rights The
Indian cricket board is pressing ahead with its plans to sell separate cricket
rights to FM radio stations, which are now on the upswing with the government
having completed the second phase of licensing in 91 cities. "We are
going ahead with the FM radio rights," Modi asserted, adding that these are
some of the many ways in which BCCI revenue can be maximized. When pointed
out that the government and Prasar Bharati feel cricket would fall under the category
of news and current affairs, which is not allowed on private FM radio stations,
Modi said, "If somebody wants to take us to the court on this, let them." It
is worthwhile to add here that last week in a meeting of a
recently-formed
ICE (information, communication and entertainment) panel, under the Prime Minister's
Office, the issue of news and current affairs on private FM radio stations was
taken up. A member of the panel told Indiantelevision.com, though no decision
has been taken yet, a large number of the ICE panel members feel news could be
allowed on private FM radio stations. The ICE panel was formed barely a
month back by the PMO to look into sector-specific issues, including a regulatory
authority for television. Historically, the ministries of home and information
and broadcasting have been against allowing news on private FM radio stations
on grounds of national security. Meanwhile, BCCI has already received bids
from Reliance Infocomm, Zee Telefilms, Nimbus Sports International PTE Ltd, and
Taj Television India Pvt Ltd for production rights, amongst others. For
global media rights to Indian cricket, according to Times of India, BCCI has received
expressions of interest, amongst others, from the likes of ESPN Star Sports, SET
Satellite Singapore PTE,. Reliance Infocomm, Zee Telefilms Ltd, Nimbus, Sahara
One and DirecTV and Echostar of the US. | 
