The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : BCCI stands to lose heavily

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Nov 10, 2004

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Sport - Cricket

BCCI stands to lose heavily

By G. Viswanath

MUMBAI, NOV. 9. The early finish in all the four Test matches between India and Australia will severely cut into the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) revenue share from television rights.

According to Prasar Bharati Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mr. K. S. Sarma, the public broadcaster would pay the BCCI only for the number of overs bowled in a day in a Test match.

"That is the agreement between Prasar Bharati and the BCCI. The cut off point is 90 overs a day and payment to the BCCI would be `proportionate to the overs bowled' in a day. Payment will not be made for the days on which the Test was not played,'' Mr. Sarma told `The Hindu' on Tuesday.

Australia won the first Test at Bangalore on the fifth day, bowling 38.4 overs to notch its first win in the series.

Asked if Prasar Bharati would pay only for 38.4 overs, Mr. Sarma said: "Yes'' adding that it will be the same for the Mumbai Test where only 11 overs were bowled on a rain-interrupted first day.

The second Test at Chennai ended in a draw and not a ball was bowled on the fifth day because of rain. The third Test at Nagpur ended on the fourth day with the Australians winning the match and clinching the series. In the fourth and final Test in Mumbai, the early finish had resulted in a loss of money for the BCCI. Because of the two-day and 11 overs finish, the loss from this Test alone should be around Rs. 9 crores.

After the BCCI's television rights ran into trouble with ESPN and Zee Telefilms taking the matter to the Bombay High Court and Supreme Court, the BCCI signed an eleventh hour agreement with Prasar Bharati — only for broadcasting - that came as good news for millions of television viewers. The agreement entailed a payment of Rs. 100 crores for 31 days of international cricket, which works out to Rs. 3.22 crores per day. Prasar Bharati was required to telecast live 20 days of Test match cricket against Australia, ten days of Test cricket against South Africa and the one-off Platinum Jubilee one-day international against Pakistan at Eden Gardens on November 13.

The loss should be around Rs. 1.85 crores from the first Test at Bangalore, Rs. 3 crores plus from the second at Chennai, Rs. 3 crores plus from the third at Nagpur and Rs. 9 crores plus from the Mumbai Test. The total loss should be around Rs. 18 crores.

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