M A I N   N E W S

.....but millions failed to watch

New Delhi/Nagpur, January 21
Millions of cricket buffs were deprived of the live action of the India-West Indies one-dayer today owing to a dispute between telecast right holder Nimbus and public broadcaster Prasar Bharati.

Over 50 million TV viewers in non-cable homes and an even higher number of radio listeners missed the action.

As both Nimbus and Prasar Bharati refused to climb down from their positions, only homes with cable connections got to watch the match on Neo Sports, a channel recently launched by Nimbus.

Meanwhile, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) today came out in support of Nimbus, saying that it would stand by the latter if the issue of telecast of the series went to court.

Nimbus is locked in a bitter battle with Prasar Bharati over the telecast of the four-match series and has refused to share the live feed of the matches, citing “rigid conditions” imposed by the private broadcaster.

BCCI vice-president Shashank Manohar said Nimbus might approach the Supreme Court to resolve the issue and the board, having entered into a contract with the television house, would be a “joint petitioner” in the case.

“The BCCI is supporting Neo Sports and Nimbus. They have paid so much money to get the telecast rights,” Manohar said here on the sidelines of the series opener at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur. He also expressed hope that the issue will be sorted out before the second one-dayer in Cuttack on January 24.

BCCI Secretary Niranjan Shah, too, said the board would stand by Nimbus.

“We may be a party because our contracts are with Nimbus,” Shah said.

“Prasar Bharti has got the highest reach in the country and Nimbus wanted to give them territorial rights as per rules and regulations. We hope for an amicable solution,” he added.

In another development, the government said today it would take urgent steps to bring in a law making it mandatory for private broadcasters to share feed of important sporting events with the public broadcaster.

“I am sorry to say this but this is the most unpatriotic attitude of the company. We cannot allow them to plunder in India and take all the money. We will take steps to ensure that people of India are not deprived,” Information and Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi said.

The minister said the government would soon take up the issue with the Cabinet to bring in a law on this issue. “We will bring in a law and the matter is almost ready. I am reporting it to the Cabinet soon,” he said. — PTI