New Delhi, January 30
The Doordarshan viewers who missed live action of the ongoing Indo-Pak Test series will be able to watch the five one-day matches between the two teams starting from February 6.
This follows an agreement between the Prasar Bharti and international sports channel Ten Sports, which has the exclusive telecast rights of matches played in Pakistan.
The details of the agreements were given to the Supreme Court by the counsels of the parties today. The court gave approval to it in view of the Ten Sports’ petition challenging government’s recent guidelines on compulsory sharing of sports coverage feed of all matches involving India with the Prasar Bharti.
Solicitor-General G.E. Vahanvati, appearing for the Prasar Bharti and Ten Sports’ counsel Harish Salve told the Bench of Mr Justice Ashok Bhan and Mr Justice Tarun Chatterjee that the former would pay to the latter Rs 15 crore as compensation for ad revenue loss due to sharing of the telecast feed with the Doordarshan.
As per the accord, DD will show matches only through its terrestrial network and not beam the signal via satellite so that it does not reach Pakistan or Middle East where Ten Sports has its stakes.
Approving the agreement, the court said the money would be deposited by the Prasar Bharti by February 9 with the apex court Registry as one-time payment to Ten Sports, which would be free to withdraw it.
The court had on January 10 accepted a special leave petition (SLP) of Ten Sports against a Bombay High Court order for hearing and had issued notices to the Union Government, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry and the Prasar Bharti, directing them to file replies.
Ten Sports had questioned the constitutional validity of the Centre’s guidelines on compulsory sharing of the feeds by private sports channels with DD of all sports events involving India, terming it as arbitrary and violative of its private rights.
