E-Paper
Decision on live telecast of Pak series on Thursday
The Madras High Court will on Thursday give its judgement on interim arrangements for telecasting the India-Pakistan series starting next month.
The Madras High Court on Wednesday said it will deliver orders on telecasting arrangement for the upcoming India-Pakistan cricket matches on Thursday, as broadcasters Zee Telefilms and ESPN-Star Sports made almost similar offers to provide production services for the series.
Reserving orders on a writ petition filed by Zee challenging BCCI's decision of cancelling the tender process, Justice KP Sivasubramanian said he will deliver orders on Thursday on live telecast of one-day as well as Test matches between the two sides.
The Judge will deliver orders on the main petition later.
Close on the heels of Zee informing the court on Tuesday that it had made an offer to the board pertaining to live telecast of the matches, ESS also in a written offer to BCCI in Madras High Court said, subject to judcial orders, it would provide production services to the board for the Indo-Pak series in accordance with international standards and "at a minimum as required by the BCCI's invitation to tender of August 7, 2004".
The offer said BCCI would provide to ESS the right to telecast the matches and either of the two would provide to Prasar Bharati the right to telecast the above matches on terms acceptable to BCCI.
Zee and ESS, in their offers in the court on Wednesday, said they would deposit with the cricket board the entire advertising revenues generated from the series and also suggested that all figures would be subjected to audit by mutually agreed independent auditors.
The two broadcasters said the deposit would be made after deducting applicable agency commissions, mutually agreed production costs and any fees payable to Prasar Bharati in relation to its telecasts.
Zee also said it would deposit the entire amount which it may collect from international syndication sales without deducting their sales commission.
Both the broadcasters said they were making their offers in the interest of the game and to ensure that the series was not postponed or cancelled.
ESS also said if its offer was acceptable to BCCI both should jointly approach the court and recommend that the court authorised the implementation of this solution.
