ESPN googly: Aussie series to be telecast free

$8-9 mn from ad revenues  could go to BCCI.

In a fresh twist to the drawn-out telecast drama, ESPN-Star Sports today offered to produce the coming India-Australia cricket series, show it on its network and pass on all advertising revenues to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

"In view of the fact that the contract for telecast of cricket matches awarded to Zee Telefilms has been cancelled, we are ready to produce the live telecast of the matches," Rick Dovey, managing director, ESPN-Star Sports, Asia, said in a letter sent to the BCCI this morning.

The offer could fetch the BCCI as much as $8-9 million (Rs 36-42 crore). According to sources in the broadcasting industry, the four Test matches in the series could generate advertising revenues of around $10 million; while the production cost would come to $1-2 million.

The sports broadcaster has offered to shell out not just its entire advertising revenue but also the 80 per cent share of revenues generated by Prasar Bharati from the series.

As per the agreement between Prasar Bharati and ESPN-Star Sports, 80 per cent of the revenue earned by Prasar Bharati from ESPN's feed is given to the sports broadcaster.

The board is yet to respond to the offer, though its counsel informed the Supreme Court today that it would make arrangements with Prasar Bharati to produce both the Australia as well as the South Africa series for the domestic market. For the international market, it will look for arrangements with other broadcasters, the counsel added.

In his letter, Dovey has backed his offer with two observations. One, it has in-house capabilities to produce the matches, and two, it already has an agreement in place with Prasar Bharati which allows the state broadcaster to carry the feed on its terrestrial network.

Prasar Bharati, however, said that it was yet to get a formal proposal from ESPN-Star Sports on the issue and would take a call on it after that.

"It is true that Prasar Bharati has a commercial agreement with ESPN-Star Sports. But on this particular series and the BCCI matches we would like to wait till we get a directive from the court," said a Prasar Bharati official.

When contacted, a Zee Telefilms spokesperson said that since the matter was in the courts, such an offer wasn't tenable.