Indian cricket may be on its way to ESPN
According to Indiantelevision.com, there may be a good deal more cricket on TV in the US in the near future. The bids have begun for the broadcasting of Indian cricket and ESPN and Zee have emerged as the leaders of the pack. The contract would cover 130 days of cricket between now and 2009. ESPN has the highest official bid at $325 million, but Zee is rumored to have outbid the American sports giant.
Meanwhile, according to broadcast industry sources, a senior Zee representative is understood to have met up with former BCCI chief Jagmohan Dalmiya in South Africa recently during the Africa-Asia series to patch up the differences, which had cropped up after the contentious last round of bidding last year.
Subsequently, BCCI amended its eligibility criteria whereby it said that bidders need not have obtained licensing from the rights holders directly. It could be through an agency also, which means Zee could qualify.
However, a senior BCCI official told Indiantelevision.com this evening that Zee’s eligibility criteria is not clear.
In the past during the court cases involving the telecast rights to domestic cricket, Zee had argued that it had telecast matches on its international feed. Incidentally, Zee TV and Zee Sports also recently telecast the Afro-Asia Cup cricket series, which is an ICC-recognised [sic] event.
If Zee loses the bid to ESPN, it could mean that Indians in America would have much easier access to their favorite sport. On the other hand, the BCCI admits that the bids could be lower than expected since broadcasters may have to share the rights with pubcaster Doordarshan on a mandatory basis.