Finally screen blinks, ghost image remains

Putting the cricket telecast rights controversy to a temporary rest, the Madras High Court today asked Prasar Bharati Corporation to telecas...

Putting the cricket telecast rights controversy to a temporary rest, the Madras High Court today asked Prasar Bharati Corporation to telecast the forthcoming India-Pakistan series, beginning on March 8. While allowing BCCI to choose the agency for marketing the series, the court through an interim order restricted its choice to pick production houses by striking out both ESPN-Star Sports (ESS) and ZEE’s participation.

This effectively means the toss up is between Ten Sports and SET-MAX. But the BCCI has not decided till late evening on the choice for handing over the satellite rights.

Meanwhile, the BCCI is expected to take some crucial decisions in the coming days. Foremost among them would be who gets the satellite rights, roughly worth Rs 45 crores: Ten or SET-MAX? In October last year, SET-MAX had the satellite rights while Ten Sports produced the matches. Similarly, someone has to market the entire series that is worth Rs 105 crores. The BCCI’s choice will have to be either SET or Ten.

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Both Ten Sports and Sony have shown eagerness to produce the forthcoming series and have sounded out BCCI of their intention to do so.

Under a similar order passed by the Supreme Court last year, the Prasar Bharati Corporation and Sony were given the rights to telecast the Australia and South Africa series in India, after ZEE Telefilms (ZTL) and ESS were involved in a court battle and were kept out of contention for that series. The Corporation made Rs 101 crores out of that series.

The present order comes after a petition by ZEE challenging the BCCI decision to terminate its agreement for a four-year period from October 2004 after it had bid for the highest amount.