ICC to meet in Karachi to discuss Indian TV rights

The full quorum of the ICC is meeting in Karachi on January 12 to discuss the serious threat to its finances posed by the Indian government's decision to impose restrictions on the exclusive telecast of cricket matches by private broadcasters.

The Indian government had recently announced that the telecast of all major sporting events involving India, including cricket matches, should be shared with Prasar Bharati, the state broadcaster. The Indian cabinet in taking the decision had stated: "For ensuring the widest availability in India of national or international sporting events of national importance to be held in India, no television channel shall carry a live broadcast of whole or part of any event ... unless simultaneously Prasar Bharati has also been offered the terrestrial and DTH broadcasting rights."

What is even more worrying is that the Indian government has said that this ruling will apply retrospectively to existing contracts.

By demanding that matches be broadcast by a number of channels, the value of the rights is significantly reduced and the ICC has explicitly stated that its finances will be seriously reduced as a result of this decision.

"I wouldn't like to speculate on how much money it would cost us, but I know it would be substantial," Ehsan Mani, the ICC president, said. "Cricket boards like the West Indies, Sri Lanka and others might not be able to survive without this revenue."

The TV rights issue has dogged Indian cricket since the Australia tour in October-November 2004. Prasar Bharati have been in the box-seat from thereon, with rights being dispensed on a series-by-series basis.

Late last year, the ICC wrote to Dr Manmohan Singh, the Indian prime minister, and to the minister in charge of broadcasting asking them to review the decision. Both, the Rupert Murdoch-owned ESPN-Star Sports and Ten Sports are seeking legal means to force the government to rescind the decision. "Nowhere in the world does a law exist like this ... This is not encouraging for private sports broadcasters," a top ESPN official said. "This is really a harsh view taken by the ministry, which is totally unnecessary."

Apart from all its full-member countries, representatives of several major broadcasters and media rights holders will also attend the ICC meeting.