ESPN-Star Sports' eligibility questioned

In a new twist to the telecast-rights battle, the Bombay High Court has observed that technically both Zee Network and ESPN-Star Sports would not be qualified to get the rights. This was with regard to the tussle for telecast rights for the international matches to be played in India for the next four years.

A PTI report said that the court told Harish Salve, Zee's counsel, that "if we strictly stick to your line of argument then both the parties [Zee and ESS] would be ineligible". This observation came when Salve was arguing ESS's contention that Zee did not have the required experience to telecast live matches and that they did not own "production facilities" that were required.

Salve pointed out that ESS had hired the production units and according to records submitted, ESS had produced only one series exclusively in the last two years. That effectively meant that ESS did not fulfill the required criterion of having a minimum of two years' experience.

According to Salve, Zee could also hire "specialist" production professionals and equipments like ESS, and thereby pointed out that the criterion on which ESS were deeming Zee as ineligible was incorrect.

After the court's observation, however, Salve said that if the tender conditions were strictly adhered to, none of the parties would be eligible to get the telecast rights since they all were only licensees who hired production units for telecasts.

Meanwhile SAB TV, a 24-hour entertainment channel, filed an intervention application saying that ESS had failed to satisfy the consortium criteria as mentioned in the tender bids. Ram Jethmalani, a renowned lawyer, was SAB TV's counsel and he argued that ESS should have protested at the time of opening of bids itself.