Zee gets telecast rights for Sri Lanka Tests

MUMBAI—India’s biggest listed media firm, Zee Telefilms Ltd., said on Thursday the cricket board had awarded Zee cable and satellite rights for a three-match test series against Sri Lanka starting on Friday.
Telecast rights to India’s cricket matches have been mired in controversy and a legal battle since the cricket board last September backed out of a $308 million, four-year deal with Zee, after being taken to court by unsuccessful bidder ESPN Star.
“We are delighted ... in an open and transparent meeting with the (board), in which all bidders were present, we managed to secure the rights for the series,” said Himanshu Mody, business head of Zee Sports.
Other bidders included ESPN Star — a joint venture between Disney and News Corp. — and privately-owned Nimbus Communications, according to a Zee spokesman. Last year’s bidders also included Dubai-based Ten Sports and Sony Entertainment’s Max, which has the rights to all International Cricket Council matches until 2007.
“We have always maintained that the highest bidder should be given the rights,” said Gaurav Seth, vice-president of marketing, Zee Sports.
The telecast rights came after a powerful federal minister, Sharad Pawar, was voted to head the cash-rich cricket board on Tuesday.
Shares in Zee ended up 6.6 percent at 164.95 rupees on Thursday in a firm Mumbai market.
The long-running row prompted the cricket board to resort to stop-gap arrangements with broadcasters to ensure tours were not cancelled in cricket-crazy India.
Zee Sports, launched in June, recently won the telecast and marketing rights for Indian soccer for the next 10 years.
Zee, India’s No. 3 broadcaster, estimates annual advertising revenues for television sports programming at about 5 billion rupees ($109 million). Indian television had revenues of more than $960 million in 2004, according to industry estimates.—Agencies