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'Unrealistic': Prasar Bharati

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Our Corporate Bureau New Delhi
Last Updated : Feb 06 2013 | 6:19 PM IST
Ready for out-of-court settlement with Ten Sports.
 
The Rs 208 crore subscription revenue loss claimed by Cable Distribution Network and Ten Sports was unrealistic, senior Prasar Bharati officials told Business Standard.
 
"Ten Sports charges Rs 14 per month. Even if all the 45 million cable and satellite homes in the country give up subscription for the month, the loss would amount to Rs 63 crore," an official said.
 
The officials also said Ten Sports would now be able to negotiate better advertisement rates for the series because its feed would be available in over 80 million households in the country.
 
Prasar Bharati said it was ready for an out-of-court settlement with the Dubai-based company, and added that this incident would speed up the framing of a new broadcasting law in the country.
 
Prasar Bharati CEO K S Sarma said at a press meet here yesterday that the broadcaster would abide by the Supreme Court's order asking it to pay Rs 50 crore to Ten Sports.
 
He, however, said the company had not moved the apex court against Ten Sports and yesterday's decision was based on a public interest litigation.
 
"We do not know why we are being accused of playing dirty tricks. It is a public interest litigation. Doordarshan has not gone to court," Sarma said and added that the telecast rights for an event of national importance was public property and could not be monopolised by a single company.
 
"Ten Sports has the telecast rights but does not want to give it to us at an agreed price. This is only electronic hoarding," he said.
 
Prasar Bharati, according to Sarma, had not bid for rights of another cricket board for five years as it "cannot take a business risk being a public broadcaster".
 
He presented documents to state that the terrestrial rights for 16 tournaments outside India were sold to Doordarshan by other broadcasters at an agreed price or through revenue sharing.
 
Sarma said Prasar Bharati was even willing for an deferred telecast of 10 seconds-30 minutes in public interest.

 
 

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First Published: Mar 18 2004 | 12:00 AM IST

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