The Indian Premier League finds itself in a stand-off with television news channels once more. The News Broadcasters Association announced that it would be "unable to offer viewers any coverage in relation to IPL or its proposed matches," following a disagreement over stringent restrictions imposed on tv channels by the IPL.
Media coverage guidelines for 2010 reduced the duration of match footage that news channels can carry to 30 seconds per bulletin and seven minutes a day. The number of repeats was reduced to three. Earlier, news channels could telecast match footage with a five-minute delay from the end of the live telecast, but this has now been increased to 30 minutes.
The IPL's contention is that it has to do its best to protect the SET Max, which paid more than a billion dollars () in a 10-year rights deal. An IPL insider also said that news channels regularly flouted the norms that they had agreed to.
On Wednesday television channels clarified that they would only cover those parts of the IPL that are in public interest. Unless the IPL changed its terms and conditions no reporters, camera crews, stringers, or broadcast vans would be sent to any IPL-related event.