India’s DDI wants equal share in sports revenue

Wednesday 07 Sep 2011
India’s national television broadcaster, Doordarshan (DDI), could soon get a bigger slice of the revenue pie in lucrative sport broadcasting deals, The Hindu reports.

At a board meeting on Tuesday, Prasar Bharati – the umbrella body that includes Doordarshan and All India Radio – proposed a policy amendment to the Sports Broadcasting Signals (Mandatory Sharing with Prasar Bharati) Act.

Passed in 2007, it mandates that any live telecast of events of national importance be shared with Prasar Bharati, with Doordarshan getting to keep 25 percent of the advertisement revenue while 75 percent is given to the original content rights owner.

The Prasar Bharati Board has suggested that this arrangement be changed to a 50:50 revenue sharing ratio to ensure a level playing field for the national broadcaster.

“After detailed discussions, it was decided that the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting will be requested for immediate implementation of this recommendation because of the heavy financial consequences being imposed on Doordarshan due to the unequal playing field provided under the present dispensation,” said a press release issued after the meeting.

The board also approved further expansion of Doordarshan’s Direct-to-Home (DTH) platform, to reach 150 channels by year-end and add another 100 by the end of next year.