- PHOTO: ARUNANGSU ROY CHOWDHURY

Ranbir Singh Mahendra fielding questions.

KOLKATA: The Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) marketing committee on Thursday awarded the telecast rights of the two one-day series of 12 matches, involving India-Sri Lanka and India-South Africa, to Prasar Bharati at a cost of Rs. 90 crore and the production right to Trans World International (TWI) at a cost of Rs. 6.93 crore.

Disclosing this at the end of a 90-minute meeting attended by nine members, the Board president and chairman of the committee, Ranbir Singh Mahendra, said it was an interim measure for television coverage of these two series.

As the television rights for the next four years could not be decided on Thursday owing to an ongoing case at the Delhi High Court, the committee first dealt with the production rights of the two immediate series. The Board received an offer of $1.54 million from TWI for the television production of the two series.

The marketing committee was also drawn to an offer for production by Nimbus Sport that was filed along with the intervening application by the Rajasthan and Punjab cricket associations in the case filed by Zee Telefilms against the Board.

The committee considered both offers and noted that Nimbus had quoted $1.95 million as against TWI's $1.54 million. Since the difference was $0.41 million, the committee decided to give the rights to TWI.

Prasar Bharati had offered to pay Rs. 7 crore per match for the Indian terrestrial and cable rights. In view of this, the committee on Thursday further negotiated with Prasar Bharati and ensured that Rs. 7.5 crore per match would be paid to the Board for the rights.

The president said the overseas rights of the two series were still with the Board and the meeting authorised the president and other office-bearers to negotiate with prospective parties.

Latest position

Before the meeting began, senior legal counsel of the Board, U.N. Banerjee, apprised the members on the latest position of the court case as on Wednesday. The committee, therefore, noted that the matter pertaining to television rights for the next four years, for which Part `A' of the tender (technical eligibility of the bidders) was already opened on October 16, could not be decided upon on Thursday. However, it was decided that on the next date of hearing, the honorable court would be apprised of the decision of the Board with regard to the technical eligibility of the bidders.

The committee was informed that legal opinion was received from Soli Sorabjee, former attorney general of India, with regard to the technical eligibility of the bidders on October 18. A sub-committee (consisting of Ranbir Singh Mahendra, Indrajit Singh Bindra and Jagmohan Dalmiya) was formed on the same evening by the marketing committee.

Teleconference

A teleconference was organised that was attended only by Mahendra and Dalmiya. Bindra expressed his inability to attend. The committee was apprised on Thursday of the sub-committee's decision to proceed on the lines of the legal opinion of Mr. Sorabjee. The decision of the sub-committee was ratified.

Mr. Mahendra said the 12 ODIs had been taken out of the telecast rights of the next four years.

When told that the ICC had written to the Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh, drawing his attention to moves to give preferential treatment to Indian rights to state broadcaster, Doordarshan, the Board president said, "I have no knowledge of any such move till now," and added, "the ICC cannot interfere in the internal matters of the BCCI."

He also refuted allegation that the Board had shown preferential treatment to Doordarshan. "There was no question of preferential treatment. The circumstances were such that the rights were given to it."

Bindra's allegation

The Board chief, when told about the allegation of Mr. Bindra that he was not informed of the teleconference, shot back, "this information is wrong. He was not once but twice informed of it. But he did not attend the call." He further said all his advises were taken and the decision to seek legal opinion from Mr. Sorabjee was his.

The meeting was attended by Mahendra, Ranga Reddy, Rajiv Shukla, S.K. Nair, Jyoti Bajpai, Goutam Dasgupta, Jagmohan Dalmiya, Prof. Ratnakar Shetty and U.N. Banerjee, the last two as special invitees.

Former president Bindra did not attend so also N. Srinivasan. Chirayu Amin is abroad while Kamal Morarka failed to reach here owing to non-availability of flight ticket. Arun Jaitley could not make it owing to ill health.

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