The Hindu : National : BCCI not to consider offers of ESPN and Zee

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Feb 25, 2005

National

National

BCCI not to consider offers of ESPN and Zee

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI, FEB. 24. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will not consider the offers of both Zee Telefilms Limited (ZTL) and ESPN-Star Sports for producing, marketing and telecasting the coming India-Pakistan series.

To a pointed query from Justice K.P. Sivasubramaniam, hearing ZTL's writ petition on tendering for telecast rights, senior counsel for the BCCI, A.L. Somayaji said: "Enough is enough. Though the Board has no specific name in mind at present, it would definitely exclude both ZTL and ESPN-Star Sports."

This statement evoked immediate protests from Vijay Narayan and P.S. Raman, senior counsel for ESPN and ZTL. Mr. Vijay Narayan said: "When we both are ready to give the best commercial terms how can they exclude us? We cannot be singled out."

Claiming that millions of cable and satellite channel viewers were deprived of the India-Pakistan series last time, Mr. Raman said the Board too lost crores of rupees by way of advertisement revenue because of that. He wanted the Board to give the satellite channel rights to ZTL, which would collect the revenue and deposit it with the BCCI.

When it was turned down, he said the BCCI should be asked not to give the right to any other satellite channel. To this, Mr. Somayaji said: "BCCI is the owner of the sporting event. They cannot dictate terms to the Board."

Mr. Raman then said that ZTL would require only a day or two to make telecast preparations, and said that it could wait for the court to deliver the final orders. However, Mr. Justice Sivasubramaniam said: "Let us be frank. The matter is not going to end here. There may be appeals here and then in the Supreme Court."

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National