DD to telecast World Cup live courtesy Nimbus

New Delhi, Feb 18: The Government has informed the Delhi HighCourt that the private sports channel SetMax in collaboration withNimbus Communications has signed an agreement with the publicbroadcaster Prasar Bharti to provide live feed of the Cricket World Cupmatches played at West Indies from March 14.

Appearing before a bench of Justice Vikramajit Sen and Justice J PSingh, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) P P Malhotra said that anagreement had been signed between the PB and SetMax to provide livefeed of all the cricket world cup matches.

Nimbus Communications, the owner of NEO Sports, will be providingthe live feed to SetMax, said Advovate Rajiv Sharma, the counselapeparing for Prasar Bharti.

The cases pending before the High Court will not come in the wayof showing the matches live to the non-cable homes in India, he said.

Even though the Sports Broadcasting - Ordinance, 2007, did notspecify about the mandatory sharing of live feed of the sports eventheld abroad, the agreement with the SetMax will enable the DD to showthe match live.

Nimbus, which had bought the rights to telecast matches held inIndia for four years for Rs 27 billion, had filed a petition before thecourt challenging the Sports Broadcasting (Mandatory Sharing withPrasar Bharti) Ordinance, 2007, terming it as ''bad in law''.

''The ordinance transgresses the constitutional limits and apartfrom violating the petitioner's fundamental rights, it also interfereswith the power of the court to review the circular enforcing theprivate channels to share the feed,'' said the petition.

The High Court has issued notice to the Government and PrasarBharti asking them to file replies to the allegations in the petition.

Moreover, the conditions to share the live feed with the PrasarBharti was mentioned in the tender documents, which was in theknowledge of the Nimbus Communications, argued Senior Counsel DushyantDave appearing for the Prasar Bharti.

Before granting the licence to telecast the matches in India, thegovernment had made it clear to the Board of Cricket Control in India(BCCI) that whoever was given the right to telecast the matches, wouldhave to share the live feed with DD and AIR, said the application filedby the government in reply to the private channel.

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