Cabinet divided over sports broadcast Bill

With differences emerging in the Cabinet over the mandatory sharing of sports broadcast with Prasar Bharati, the upcoming Sports Broadcasting Signals Bill could be delayed.

The government has drafted the Bill to make private sport broadcasters share their exclusive feed with Doordarshan.

However, for cricket matches involving India, the Bill will ensure that only the broadcast of one day internationals (ODIs) is shared. Priyaranjan Das Munshi, minister for information and broadcasting, is likely to call all sport broadcasters for a meeting to discuss the issue once more.

According to sources, Agriculture Minister Shard Pawar, also the president of the Board of Cricket Control of India (BCCI), is opposed to any private sport channel being forced to share its feed with Doordarshan on non-commercial rates.

A couple of senior ministers in the Cabinet, including Sharad Pawar, want a transparent system for sharing of sport signals with Doordarshan.

The I&B minister has said that all private sport broadcasters will be taken into confidence before any law is made, a source said.

"There is the provision of 75:25 revenue sharing in favour of the rights holder for sharing of sport feed with Doordarshan. But private sport channels have won cases against Doordarshan on account of loss in subscription revenue due to the sharing, which Prasar Bharati is reluctant to compensate," an industry source said.