New TV deal threatens boards' incomes

Bangladesh are the first ICC Full Member to face the consequences of new Indian TV law which may heavily reduce the television income of international cricket boards.

Under the new legislation, the Indian state broadcaster Doordarshan will have the right to access any international cricket for its terrestrial channels free of charge.

This will reduce the potential of broadcasters such as ESPN Star Sports or Ten Sports to raise money from cable subscriptions in India, and as a result lower the value of television rights in what has been cricket's most lucrative market.

Bangladesh's current deal with ESPN/Star Sports, which brings in around US$2.5 million a year, runs out in April 2006 after the Australian tour. The BCB had been hoping for a significant increase in a new five-year contract but it now appears that the Indian broadcasters are wary of making a commitment.

An official with an Indian broadcaster said: "We already struggle to get advertising money in from Bangladeshi cricket, now we're faced with the problems of importing equipment and crew to produce all the pictures in Bangladesh but having no benefit to us from the cable market. The potential revenue is now so small and the costs of production so high, that there may be no point in even bidding. Even though the new legislation allows us to retain 75% of the advertising income from Doordarshan, this doesn't compare with the loss of revenue from cable operators"

It's not yet clear if Doordarshan will show Tests on their terrestrial channels under the new legislation, but they would have the right to do so. It means that television viewers in India will potentially be able to see all Indian cricket without having to pay for cable channels, but the repercussions will be considerable for other boards.