BCCI to sell IPL TV rights through tender process

[prasad1979]

The BCCI will invite bidders to participate in an open-tender process to secure broadcasting rights for the IPL, for the cycle starting in 2018. Anurag Thakur, the BCCI president, will make the announcement in Delhi on Sunday. Sony Pictures Network India (SPNI) owns the current rights, which will expire after the 2017 IPL season.

It is understood that the BCCI made SPNI aware of the open tender during negotiations held over the past few months. According to a top BCCI official, a clause in the original contract dictated that both parties would discuss the new deal in a 60-day window immediately after the 2016 IPL. The window opened on May 30, the day after the IPL final.

During this period SPNI was meant to make an offer for the BCCI to consider. The BCCI was supposed to respond within 10 days of the closing of the 60-day negotiating window.

"We had to make a final offer to them," the BCCI official told ESPNcricinfo on Saturday. "That is in the text of the contract. We met several times and our line to them was, in today's day and age, this is the biggest sports deal (IPL broadcasting rights), and it has to happen through an open tender. There is no other way."

The official did not divulge the details of the tender process, including whether the rights would be sold for a 10-year cycle as it had been previously, or for a smaller period of time.

According to this official, picking the next IPL broadcaster through a tender process also conformed to the guidelines listed in the Lodha Committee report, which had recommended more transparency in the BCCI's business deals.

The official pointed out that the BCCI, despite being opposed to various recommendations of the Lodha Committee, had accepted the point that striking new contracts though tenders was the best method.

"The only transparent process is through an open tender and that is also the right way to discover the right price for this property. The Supreme Court judgement of July 18 clearly mentions that all future negotiations need to happen through a tender. So if we do anything else it would be an infringement of the order."

When asked whether SPNI had agreed to the process, the BCCI official said: "They have not said anything to the contrary."

Senior SPNI officials could not be reached for a reaction, but an insider privy to the negotiations said SPNI had not accepted the BCCI's offer. "SPNI has not accepted it. There are still a lot of things pending including legal options and all. SPNI's view is BCCI is not honouring its contract."

According to this official, SPNI executives repeatedly pointed out to the BCCI that it had played a big role in elevating the IPL from its inception in 2008 to its current level of popularity. "Sony told BCCI the IPL was a non-existing property. It invested in it and made IPL what it is today."

The negotiation clause under the existing contract allows SPNI the first right of refusal as well the right to match a counter-offer made by a rival. In August, while the negotiations were going on, SPNI CEO NP Singh had hoped the BCCI would accept Sony's offer.

"When the BCCI conceived of the IPL, we identified it as a potential game-changing property," Singh told televisionpost.com. "Since then, we have worked productively with the BCCI to grow the league. Our agreement is now close to 10 years old, and both the parties have always followed it in letter and spirit. While I wouldn't comment on any particular clause, I would say that we feel comfortable in the knowledge that there will be fair negotiations."

Singh had said SPNI would be aggressive in trying to retain the rights. "We have worked really hard to bring the IPL to where it stands today with the support of the BCCI and the franchisees. We would like to carry this value-building exercise forward into the future as well."

According to the BCCI official, SPNI were "interpreting" the offer to be a financial one. But the official stressed that there was no mention of the BCCI ever having to make a "financial offer" to SPNI during the negotiations. "We told them you are a valued stakeholder so please come and participate in the tender process."

In 2008, the Singapore-based World Sports Groupbagged the IPL television rights for a ten-year period with a $918 million bid. It simultaneously signed a deal with Multi Screen Media Pvt. Ltd. (MSM) that Sony would be the official broadcaster. The contract was recast before IPL 2009, with MSM agreeing to pay $1.63 billion for nine years.

BCCI to sell IPL TV rights through tender process | Cricket | ESPN Cricinfo

 

[iSK]

Any announcement done :sp

 

[Sarkar]

Now star will get it  hya

 

[iqbalanwer]

Yes star is to strong this time

 

[samuel]

Looks like star will get ipl too

 

[prasad1979]

Thakur has his way, invites tender for IPL media rights despite SC orders

Chander Shekhar Luthra [email protected]

New Delhi: 
Anurag Thakur has his own way of functioning. Be it his decision some 16 years back to become captain of his Himachal Pradesh Ranji Trophy team by using his extraordinary powers or now inviting former India skipper Mohammad Azharuddin, banned for life by his predecessors for match-fixing allegations, for India’s 500th Test in Kanpur, Thakur has taken several controversial decisions without too much looking at the long-term effects of it.

But one decision – to invite tenders for media rights for Indian Premier League’s next 10 years (2018-2027) – that the Thakur-led Board of Control for Cricket in India has taken on Sunday was not just clearly in defiance of the Supreme Court orders in this regard but also put his other colleagues at risk of facing contempt of court in the coming days. This is another issue that Sony Entertainment Television may also take BCCI to court over not being allowed the first “right of refusal”.

In 2008, World Sports Group bagged the IPL television rights for a 10-year period for $918 million. It signed a deal with Multi Screen Media Pvt Ltd (MSM), making Sony the official broadcaster.
The contract was redone before the 2009 IPL with Multi Screen Media working out a $1.63 billion deal for nine years with the BCCI.

Thakur and Co tread cautiously

If insiders are to be believed then main reason behind BCCI’s decision to invite TV rights tenders just three days before the Annual General Meeting (AGM) on September 21 is just to circumvent Justice RM Lodha panel’s directives of only taking up “routine old matters” till reforms are completed.

“This is one way of showing that TV tendering process has already been in process before the AGM,” reacted a senior BCCI official. However, Thakur chose to ignore any such suggestions. “BCCI has not taken a single penny from centre or state government and brought cricket to this level. The situation now is that we’ve built great infrastructure and implemented structural reforms that are a continuous process. This can’t be stopped because of any review or curative petition in the court,” came a justification from BCCI’s top boss.

The big question now is where will all these will lead to, given the fact that Justice Lodha panel has already made it clear more than once that “BCCI can’t set up new committees, appoint the selection panel, distribute broadcasting rights among other things, for 2016-17 during its AGM”.

Where this will lead to is anybody’s guess because BCCI’s review petition is pending before the SC registry due to some technical defect. And, it is not likely to be heard soon unless the defects are cured and BCCI has till date not taken any initiative in doing so.

That’s more than a reason for Thakur and his colleagues to tread cautiously and not confront the time-line and reforms process set by Justice Lodha panel. But Thakur’s tone hardly suggested that. “Where does our action (inviting bidders) says that we are defying the court. I don’t see that happening. Look, we have brought in many reforms before the Justice Lodha panel recommendations. I would like to request Justice Lodha to come and sit with the (Board) members. Justice Lodha had been unable to visit any of our state association offices and BCCI headquarters. The meetings have been taking place in the five-star hotels, so they should see the reforms made by the BCCI in the last 18 months,” said Thakur, who is not just going to lose his post in BCCI but also in his home state Himachal if reforms are implemented.

Thakur, though, kept quiet on the AGM agenda but insiders have been telling dna that “there’s plenty listed for the coming 12 months”. Besides the appointment of the selection committee, the election of the next secretary and Ombudsman is also on the agenda.

“If BCCI goes ahead with any agenda outside the ‘routine’ one, that would be a clear violation of the apex court’s order. In that situation, the committee (Lodha) will have no choice but to move the highest court for contempt proceedings,” said a source close to Justice Lodha.

In simple words, a situation is likely to arise where all the BCCI officials may face removal and an administrator may be asked to take over to implement the reforms.


Published Date:  Sep 19, 2016

MUMBAI SPORT [PG 16] : Thakur has his way, invites tender for IPL media rights despite SC orders