Will News channels boycott IPL matches?
The confrontation
between broadcasters and IPL reached a flashpoint on Tuesday with the News
Broadcasters Association, the body of top news channels, announcing that all
its members would boycott the IPL.
Talks between IPL and official broadcaster SET
Max, on the one hand, and the news channel, on the other, broke down when
IPL/SET Max refused to consider any of the issues raised by NBA and said the
terms set down by them for coverage were non-negotiable.
This means there will be no surround sound about
IPL matches on TV channels, although the game itself would be telecast by SET
Max. This is bound to reduce the buzz around the IPL tournament as news
channels not only report the matches, but also analyse the games.
IPL chairman Lalit Modi did not respond to calls
or messages. But he tweeted, ‘‘News channels never had rights to broadcast IPL.
Those are exclusively SET Max. You will see all matches on Set live...You can
get regular news of all IPL related stories as they happen on IPLT20.com.’’
The NBA, which represents 34 news channels, is
opposed to the new terms that are more stringent than those set down by IPL in
2008, the last time IPL was played in India. The new terms have slashed the
amount of time footage can be shown to just 7 minutes in a day, stipulated that
nothing can be shown until 30 minutes after the post-match prize distribution
ceremony, and set down certain ownership restrictions for channels.
The NBA statement said: ‘‘In view of this position
unilaterally taken by IPL/Set Max, members of the NBA are unable to offer to
their viewers any coverage in relation to IPL or its proposed matches.’’ It
regretted the ‘‘inconvenience’’ to viewers but put the blame squarely on
IPL/Set Max for its ‘‘unreasonable commercial approach’’.
IPL is scheduled to be held between March 12 to
April 25. In previous years, the IPL attracted TRP ratings of an astounding
9.81 for the 2008 final while it got 9.29 in the 2009 final. For the 2010
edition, Sony has sold advertising spots for an estimated Rs 2 lakh for 10
seconds while regular and presenting sponsors have shelled out 25%-30%.
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