The Hindu Business Line : Cricket feed: I&B Ministry issues notice to Nimbus

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New Delhi Feb. 14 The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has issued a notice to Nimbus Communications asking why action should not be taken against the private broadcaster for violating The Sports Broadcasting Signals (Mandatory Sharing with Prasar Bharati) Ordinance 2007.

As per the rules of the Ordinance, the Government can fine a broadcaster up to Rs 1 crore per violation or even withdraw its licence, if it refused to share live feed of any sporting event deemed as of national interest with Prasar Bharati.

Nimbus, the telecast right holders to all cricket matches played in the country, has challenged the Ordinance in the Delhi High Court on February 9. The Ordinance was promulgated by the Government on February 1, soon after Nimbus refused to share its live telecast with Prasar Bharati and went to court challenging the existing uplinking guidelines according to which, telecast right holders were bound to share live broadcast of radio and television, with the national broadcaster.

Nimbus' stand

Nimbus, meanwhile, claims that it had written to Prasar Bharati on the eve of the third India-Sri Lanka One-Day International played in Goa on Wednesday. According to Nimbus, it informed Prasar Bharati that it was sending it live feed, it had, however, also reminded the national broadcaster that the High Court interim order only allowed Doordarshan a deferred telecast (by seven minutes) of the ongoing cricket matches. If Prasar Bharati thought it right to telecast live, it very well could have chosen to do so claims Nimbus. It goes on to explain that technically while Nimbus was sending Prasar Bharati live feed from the stadium all these days, the onus to delay broadcast by seven minutes lay with the latter.

The Ministry is expecting a reply from the private broadcaster by February 15, before it takes any further action. According to a senior official in the Ministry, even though the High Court was hearing Nimbus' challenge of the Ordinance, until an Indian court stayed the same Ordinance or it was overturned by the Parliament, it was law.