Doordarshan unlikely to get match telecast rights

It seems likely that Nimbus will sell only the broadcast rights to Prasar Bharati for AIR that the latter controls.

With less than 12 hours to go for the first India-West Indies one-day match to begin in Nagpur on Sunday, it was not clear whether it will be telecast by India's Doordarshan.

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"Intense negotiations are on at the moment between the Dubai based Nimbus Group that has bought the match telecast rights for its Neo TV channel and Prasar Bharati," a BCCI source said late Saturday night.

But it seems likely that Nimbus sells only the broadcast rights to Prasar Bharati for All India Radio (AIR) that the latter controls, because the Nimbus business partner ARY Dubai running a radio channel has declined to broadcast the match, the source added.

If that happens, the live telecast will come to viewers from Neo Channel via their local operators.

Meanwhile, the tickets for the match, which has generated unprecedented interest in the city, have been completely sold out.