I&B asks BCCI to ensure AIR gets cricket commentary

NEW DELHI: Even as Nimbus remains adamant about sharing broadcasting rights with All India Radio, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry has asked the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to take immediate action to ensure that the commentary of the on-going one-dayers between England and India should be given live to AIR.

The Ministry has said that the rights for AIR should not be clubbed with the rights given to Doordarshan under the Sports Broadcasting (Mandatory Sharing with Prasar Bharati) Act.

In a letter to BCCI, the Ministry said the demand by Nimbus for 50 per cent of the revenues from the radio commentary ?appears to be an effort to arm twist Prasar Bharati?.

The Ministry has suggested that radio rights ?should be made available directly to AIR at a negotiated price as far as India is concerned?.

According to Nimbus Communications, AIR has refused to follow the 50:50 sharing of advertising revenues, which has been mandated by the Sports Broadcasting (Mandatory Sharing with Prasar Bharati) Act.

According to the letter by the Ministry to BCCI, the provisions of the Sports Act apply only if the rights holder for TV telecast broadcasts the match either on television, cable, DTH, or the radio broadcast rights holder actually broadcasts the commentary over the respective medium in India.

?As regards radio, no private broadcaster is allowed to carry the commentary of sporting events of national level in India. The provisions of Sports Act relating to sharing of the signal do not apply to radio coverage,? the letter said.