Star to broadcast Bangladesh ODIs
The uncertainty over whether the India-Bangladesh series will be broadcast in India ended a day before the first ODI when the Bangladesh board announced that Star Sports will beam the series. Gazi TV, who had claimed the media rights until 2020, inked the deal on Saturday night.
Gazi TV have been in "discussions for a long time with many broadcasters but the deal kept falling through". Salahuddin Chowdhury, CFO and head of operations of Gazi Group, said there had been an issue with "some terms and conditions" which contributed to the delay. Bound by a non-disclosure agreement, he could only offer that "Star will be broadcasting the first ODI tomorrow" and will continue coverage for the next two.
Gazi TV had sought out Star and Sony Six to ensure the series was available in India. But Star's bid of less than a million dollars had been deemed too low and the World Cup left Sony Six with no space to fit the series.
Nazmul Hassan, the Bangladesh Cricket Board president, explained the weightage an India series carried while selling the media rights and offered to lend some assistance. "Gazi TV has written to us that they cannot find a buyer, essentially a broadcaster for the India series. It is probably because of the FIFA World Cup, as TV channels are running on a particular schedule. The India series, according to our valuation makes up about 50 to 60% of the media rights."
The week-long tour to Bangladesh was announced only a month ago and, with India resting marquee names like MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli, interest from broadcasters was low.
