BCCI fixes floor price, signals no softening of rates for India cricket

MUMBAI: India?s cricket board has fixed the floor price of its most lucrative property at a higher value than what its earlier TV rights holder Nimbus Sport paid, signalling there is no softening of rates for the most-watched sport in the country amid an economic slowdown and a weak performance of the Indian team in its most recent tour in Australia.

Clubbing the digital with the TV broadcast rights, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has set Rs 322.5 million (Rs 312.5 million plus Rs 10 million for new media rights) as the base price per international game for category A and Rs 340 million (Rs 330 million plus 10 million for new media rights) per game for category B.

Nimbus was paying at the average rate of Rs 312.5 million a match before BCCI scrapped the deal due to default on payments. However, that deal did not include Internet and mobile rights.

"The ?A? category is for two years to complete the broadcast cycle of Nimbus after their contract was abruptly terminated last year, while the ?B? category is for the new period from 2015-2018," according to a BCCI source who attended the meeting.

The BCCI?s marketing committee, which met here today to find a new broadcaster, decided to invite tenders for the media rights (covering Television, Internet and Mobile) for global territories, for the period July 2012 ? March 2018.

"Nimbus will not be allowed to bid for the rights since they defaulted on payments," the source added. A Nimbus official said they wouldn?t have bid in any case.

In the past, the BCCI?s tender was for a shorter period of four years. The rights have also now been split into two cycles - Category ?A? and Category ?B?.

The fresh tender is for 34 Test matches, 50 ODIs and 11 Twenty 20 matches.

Interested parties can bid either for the whole rights (broadcast plus others like Internet ) or in parts. "This will enable people to come in larger numbers. We expect to generate more interest. It will be a global tender for six years," said BCCI marketing committee chairman Farooq Abdullah.

BCCI said in a statement that the base price will be declared in the tender, for which ads are to be given on 10 March. The ITT was approved, and will be available at the Cricket Centre from 10- 26 March. The Marketing Committee will meet in Chennai to receive the bids on 2 April.

India?s FTP at home for the period is as follows: