Prime time

Prasar Bharti betrayed its monopolistic leanings on Wednesday, when it pleaded with the Delhi High Court to amend its day-old order giving it rights to a seven-minute delayed telecast of one-day matches between India and the West Indies. The court in its interim order has attempted to accommodate both the national broadcaster’s claims of representing the public interest and the contractual rights of Nimbus Communications, the holder of the telecast rights. It has, accordingly, allowed Doordarshan feed, but with provisos that the telecast be delayed marginally and that Nimbus gets a share of revenue generated thereby. DD, therefore, should have been thrilled to get this windfall — revenue, without having to earn back money it would have bid if it had got the rights in the first place.

Instead, the air is crackling with statements by officials of information and broadcasting ministry about a proposed law to compel holders of telecast rights to share live footage of cricket ties with the national broadcaster. This is the background, the absurd invocation of patriotism (yes, that’s a sentiment being assumed by Prasar Bharti to gain the feed) by the government to overturn basic norms of contractual agreements. Because, even as Prasar Bharti contends to be batting on behalf of the millions of habitual cricket viewers who could not access telecast of the January 21 match on Neo Sports, the channel backed by Nimbus, it is actually manipulating public sentiment to get a share of the revenue pie — and in the process perverting the telecast rights issue.

Let us get one thing straight. A clean and transparent contract is in the interests of the common viewer. Telecast rights do not come cheap. Nimbus, for instance, has paid $612 million for a four-year period. If it is hopeful of earning back its investment, it must get the maximum number of eyeballs possible. It must strive for quality coverage to keep the viewer interested even in the bleaker moments of cricket matches. By repeatedly going to the courts at the very last moment and appropriating feed for DD, Prasar Bharti is not allowing the logic of the bidding process to get to its logical conclusion. Stop giving in to DD’s “patriotic” claims, and private telecasters will have to themselves seek widest telecast to maximise returns on their immense investment.