SLC awards local broadcast rights to state-owned Rupavahini

Sri Lanka Cricket has awarded local terrestrial broadcast rights for the next three years to the state-owned Rupavahini Corporation, declining a substantially higher bid from Carlton Sports Network (CSN). The board said it had evaluated the overall strength of the bids, and found Rupavahini to be a more reliable option.

"We looked at the finances and the long-term implications when we evaluated both bids," an SLC official said. "We felt that it was safer for us to go with Rupavahini, in view of capability and coverage."

The board's primary concern had been whether CSN could afford to pay the figure it had bid for the rights. SLC is understood to have requested an unconditional bank guarantee from CSN, but was not satisfied with the documents the television network produced to prove its solvency. CSN has recently been under investigation for financial fraud for an alleged figure of four billion rupees (approx. US$30 million). Former SLC secretary and ex-CSN CEO Nishantha Ranatunga was questioned in April as part of the investigation.

CSN's bid far outstripped the amount Rupavahini had originally offered, but Rupavahini is understood to have increased its bid during the process. However, even that amount was significantly lower than CSN's bid.

The tenure of the rights begins with the Pakistan tour of Sri Lanka, which starts this month. CSN had been the previous holder of these rights.