Zee mulls over Turner's sports-channel proposal

Zee Telefilms, who bid a record amount for the BCCI's television rights, have been approached by Turner International Asia Pacific to launch a global sports channel, according to the Business Standard. While the existence of the proposal was confirmed, Zee officials were unwilling to discuss details.

Turner's involvement is likely to boost Zee's chances of receiving the highly contested rights, for the BCCI has said it will give the rights to the most suitable candidate. Considering that Zee and ESPN-Star Sports outbid other sports channels by a huge margin, it is quite possible that the BCCI will opt to award the rights to one of the two channels.

The general perception is that though Zee had the highest offer, ESPN-Star has had more experience covering cricket. It's still a factor that could turn the tide their way, though Turner's unexpected proposal could tilt the scales in favor of Zee, who had bid Rs1200crore for the four-year rights, compared to ESPN-Star's Rs1100crore.

In India, Zee has been known more for movies and entertainment, but that hasn't stopped other entertainment channels from receiving rights for cricket events. Last year, Sony's Set Max, primarily a movie channel, broadcast the World Cup. Its approach to the game opened up new markets, and generated a lot of revenue. The BCCI realised this, and the TV rights were then estimated to be worth four times as much as they were valued four years ago.