MUMBAI: News Corp?s India affiliate, Star TV, has bagged the BCCI media rights for international cricket played in India for a whopping Rs 38.51 billion, surprising all who expected the joint venture entity, ESPN Star Sports, to bid.

Star India bet higher than the only rival bidder Multi Screen Media (formerly Sony Entertainment Television India) for the six-year broadcast and digital rights till 2018. MSM, IPL?s official broadcast rights holder, bid Rs 37 billion to back up its plans to launch a sports channel.

Star will cough up Rs 401.154 million per match, a huge increase compared to Rs 312.50 million that Nimbus Communications was paying for every match when its contract was prematurely terminated by the BCCI last year for non-payment of broadcast rights fee.

According to sources in the BCCI, only five companies had bought the bidding documents with only MSM and Star placing their bids before the marketing committee that had met in Chennai to open the bids. The ones who bought bid documents include Zee, ESPN Software India, and Times Internet, which intended to bid only for the digital rights.

The contract between BCCI and Star TV will cover a total of 96 matches which includes visit by teams like Australia, England, South Africa and Sri Lanka. It also includes domestic events like Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy and the Irani Trophy.

The most interesting part of the bidding was that ESS, which operates Star Sports, Star Cricket and ESPN, did not submit the bid even though it bought the tender documents.

?I am glad to announce that Star TV won the bid for six years. The total bid amount is about Rs 3,851 crores (Rs 38.51 billion) for the six year period covering 96 matches. The BCCI is very happy that the BCCI rights are fully evaluated and now I think fully priced,? BCCI president N Srinivasan said, announcing the winning bid.

Star TV India CEO Uday Shankar said the broadcaster would work with ESS to jointly develop the content. ?BCCI is a great property and we are overjoyed to have an opportunity to develop it further. It was decided amongst ESPN Star Sports, ESPN and Star that Star would bid for the rights and if Star were to win the rights it would be exploited in collaboration with ESS,? Shankar said in a statement.

For ESS, which has platforms across television, Internet and mobile medium, the BCCI media rights will come as a booster shot. With the India rights expected to be housed under it, ESS can boast of having rights for three of the top four cricket boards which includes Australia and England excluding South Africa, which is owned by Ten Sports. It also holds the global rights for ICC events till 2015 besides Champions League Twenty20 commercial rights till 2017.

Commenting on the deal, ESPN Star Sports MD Manu Sawhney said, "ESS is very pleased that STAR has secured the BCCI rights for the period 2012 to 2018. It was decided by the ESPN STAR Sports (ESS) Board that the most preferred way for these rights is for STAR to bid with the understanding that should they win, they would utilize these rights in partnership with ESPN STAR Sports. We look forward to continue to enhance fans? engagement with the game.?

The BCCI had clubbed the digital with the TV broadcast rights, setting a floor price of Rs 322.5 million (Rs 312.5 million plus Rs 10 million for new media rights) 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.

The new media rights, which were not part of the earlier rights package with Nimbus, had failed to draw attention as it was highly priced. The BCCI had twice floated tenders fixing base price at Rs 30 and Rs 20 million respectively.

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

MUMBAI: The last word on the BCCI-Nimbus dispute is still not out as the sports marketing company has moved the apex court against a Bombay High Court directing it to furnish a bank guarantee of Rs 3.05 billion.

The Bombay HC has on 27 February directed Nimbus, which owns and operates Neo Sports and Neo Cricket channels through sister concern Neo Sports Broadcast, to furnish security by way of a bank guarantee of Rs 3.05 billion within two weeks pending hearing of its dispute with BCCI.

The two member bench comprising Justices RM Lodha and HL Gokhale made the order to "list this matter before a Bench of which Justice H.L. Gokhale is not a member".

The case has now been listed for 4 April.

The HC, according to Nimbus, was not right in directing it to furnish security in the form of a bank guarantee for the entire claim amount. It also stated that the BCCI?s claim for damages at the rate of Rs 310 million per game played by the Indian team was unreasonable.

Ever since their contract was terminated for breach of agreement, Nimbus has been crying hoarse that the BCCI has also failed in its obligation to provide iconic national players for important bilateral series which led to low level of interest in the matches and the cancellation of India-Pakistan series inspite of being part of the Future Tours Programme, both of which significantly dented its monetisation of the broadcast rights.

The BCCI had in December terminated Nimbus? broadcast rights contract contending that the later has been a regular defaulter of payments following the broadcaster?s inability to pay the rights fee for the England and West Indies home series.

In October 2010, Nimbus had renewed its agreement with BCCI valued at approximately Rs 20 billion for a minimum of 64 international matches and 312 days of domestic cricket until 2014 after furnishing a bank guarantee for the agreement amount to the BCCI.

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:

MUMBAI: Setting the process of finding a new broadcast partner in motion, the marketing committee of the BCCI will meet on 7 March to decide on floating tenders for finding a new partner.

The committee will also take up the issue of Internet rights after failing in earlier attempts to find bidders due to high base price.

"The marketing committee meeting has been fixed for March 7 and all matters, including broadcast and internet rights, will come up for discussion," PTI quotes BCCI sources as saying.

The BCCI had in December last year terminated the broadcast rights agreement with Nimbus Communications for non-payment of rights fee for the England and West Indies series.

As per the agreement, which was expected to run till 2014, Nimbus was supposed to pay approximately Rs 20 billion for a minimum of 64 international matches and 312 days of domestic cricket.

The Board has enough time on hand to find a new broadcaster as the next international engagement on the Indian soil is only in August-September when New Zealand will tour India for a three Test match series.

New Zealand will be followed by England who will be in the country for a full-fledged tour of four Tests, seven ODIs and one T20 match in November-December-January period.

MUMBAI: Will World Series Hockey go the Indian Cricket League way? That is a matter of conjecture but if one is to go by Hockey India?s new strategy of launching its own league, one can hardly disagree that the ?official? body is following in the footsteps of its cricket compatriot BCCI in ensuring that the WSH doesn?t take root.

HI, the sole recognised governing body of hockey in India, is planning to start its own domestic franchise league next year, which is expected to feature Indian as well as international players and would have the backing of world hockey governing body, FIH.

?We are already in talks with the FIH and things are nearing the final stage. Our league will be a permanent window on the annual international calendar. FIH will ensure that there will be no international action during that time. That means the best players from across the world will be free to participate in the league that will most likely be held in January-February 2013,? Indian Express quotes HI secretary Narinder Batra as saying.

Batra said that the HI will make an official announcement in a couple of days. Like WSH, the HI league will also have eight teams and will be launched next year. He also clarified that players wouldn?t be pressurised to join the league.

The move is clearly aimed at weaning away Indian players from the rival WSH by creating an alternative that is if the HI?s proposed league fructifies which none other than Nimbus will testify is easier said than done. However, it needs to be seen whether players who have signed contract with Nimbus will stay loyal or not.

For the record, the WSH is backed by Indian Hockey Federation, the erstwhile governing body of hockey in India before it was unceremoniously suspended on charges of corruption, and is marketed by Harish Thawani-promoted Nimbus Sport. The WSH involving eight city-based teams will begin 29 February and will run till 2 April.

The sword of instability still hangs over the WSH as the participation of Indian players who are currently part of the national team is still uncertain with the reports that the players are yet to receive payments that was supposed to be paid a week ahead of the tournament.

Nimbus has cleared the air by saying that players who turn up for the camps of their respective teams will get their payments as soon as they join.

"Those in the national team right now simply have to send in a letter confirming their participation in WSH and saying that they will join their respective teams after the Olympic qualifiers. The moment they join their teams, they will get their money,? Nimbus Sport COO YannickColaco told the paper.

MUMBAI: The IPL Governing Council has ratified the issues it had discussed with Sahara as part of the compromise formula it had arrived at with the business conglomerate.

On the contentious issue of allowing five players for this season, the Council has asked Pune Warriors India to get the consent of all the franchises.

"On the five foreign players issue, Sahara has to get the consent of all other franchises and that matter will be put before the working committee, which will take the final call,? IPL GC chairman Rajeev Shukla said after the meeting.

He further added, "All the things which were decided with Sahara were ratified by the Governing Council.?

The dates for season 6 of the IPL has been finalised and the tournament will be held next year from 3 April to 26 May.

Queried on whether the IPL will have the 10th team in season 6, Shukla said ?nothing has been finalised?.

The BCCI had on 16 February reached a compromise formula with Sahara wherein it allowed the franchise to sign up overseas players who were not in the auction register and to play five foreign players in their side due to unavailability of Yuvraj Singh, subject to approval of the other franchises.

BCCI and Sahara had also agreed to start the arbitration proceedings initiated by Sahara through appointment of an arbitrator to address Sahara?s claim for a reduction in franchise fee.