Prasar Bharati to take up BCCI telecast offer today

Public broadcaster Prasar Bharati . said it had called a meeting of its empowered committee tomorrow in the wake of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) favouring it for the coverage of India's domestic series with Australia and South Africa, even as Zee and ESPN-Star Sports slug it out in the Supreme Court.

"We will take stock of the situation in light of BCCI's submission before the apex court," Prasar Bharati CEO KS Sarma said here.

In a fresh twist to the row, the cricket board today informed the apex court that TV coverage of India's domestic series with Australia and South Africa in the coming months would be produced by it with live feed to Prasar Bharati for domestic viewers and international telecast rights to "somebody else".

A Bench, meanwhile, issued notices to the Centre, BCCI, ESPN-Star and PricewaterhouseCoopers and posted the matter for hearing tomorrow before a five-judge Constitution bench. Sarma said the government's nominee to the Prasar Bharati would also be present at tomorrow's meeting.

"The meeting would deliberate on all the issues concerned, including the revenue share and other arrangements," he said, adding it would await the Supreme Court's final verdict on the matter.

BCCI had on September 21 cancelled the entire tender process in which Zee had emerged as the highest bidder for telecast of all cricket matches played in India between 2004-08.