HC allows BCCI to open bids for telecast rights

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday allowed BCCI to open technical bids for the grant of telecast and broadcast rights in India for the next four years. It also asked the cricket body to inform the outcome of the results to the court on October 19, the next date of hearing.

BCCI counsels Soli J Sorabji and AM Singhvi requested the bench to allow the BCCI to open the technical bids in view of the Indo-Sri Lanka cricket series which is scheduled to begin on October 25. While agreeing to the suggestion, Rajiv Nayyar, appearing for Zee Telefilms, said the outcome should not be made public.

Zee Telefilms had moved the court on August 22 seeking direction to the BCCI to consider it for the bid of telecasting cricket matches between October 2005 and September 2009.

The petition alleged that "the eligibility conditions in the tender floated on August 16 was framed in such a manner so as to render Zee Telefilms and any other private licensed Indian Broadcasters ineligible." Zee Telefilms alleged that the tender favoured only ESPN Star Sports, which incidentally is a foreign channel.

The BCCI had asked bids from channels having experience in telecasting live cricket matches in the last three years as opposed to the experience of two years in the past. The last date for submission of the bids was September 26.

However, the BCCI maintained that it wanted only those having three-year experience as direct first original licensee (and not as an agent) from any event owner of telecasting live international cricket matches in each of the three years "" 2002, 2003 and 2004 "" to bid for the telecast rights.