The Hindu : Front Page : BCCI cancels tender process for telecast

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 22, 2004

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BCCI cancels tender process for telecast

MUMBAI, SEPT. 21. The Board of Control for Cricket in India submitted in the High Court today that it had decided to cancel the tender process for awarding the rights to telecast cricket matches in India.

``The whole tender process is cancelled,'' K.K. Venugopal, senior counsel for the BCCI, told the court about the bid that had been awarded to Zee Telefilms.

Earlier this month, the Board awarded a four-year deal to screen cricket matches to Zee Telefilms.

The decision was challenged in court by the pan-Asian broadcaster, ESPN-STAR Sports, which said the tender document required bidders to possess at least two years experience in live telecast of international cricket events and own production facilities. The ESPN-STAR Sports' lawyer, Iqbal Chagla, said his client was withdrawing the petition in view of the Board's cancellation of the bidding process.

Zee Telefilms chairman, Subhash Chandra, said: ``What the Cricket Board's counsel has told the court is contrary to the decision of the members of its tender committee.'' He said all the 14 members of the tender committee had taken a unanimous decision to award the telecast rights to Zee Telefilms.

Zee to move court

A New Delhi report quoted Essel Group vice-president (corporate), Ashish Kaul, from Mumbai as saying that the Zee telefilms would move the Supreme Court tomorrow against the BCCI decision to cancel the tender awarded to it.

He accused the BCCI and ESPN-Star Sports of "hatching a conspiracy."

AP, PTI

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