Dish TV chief raises ‘monopoly’ concerns in cricket telecast

Ahead of the upcoming IPL media telecast rights auction, Dish TV Chairman and Managing Director Jawahar Goel has raised concerns regarding “competition issues in the broadcasting and distribution sector” and likely creation of “sole supplier monopoly” in the cricket telecast rights space.

Reacting to media reports that Star India is one of the potential bidders for the IPL telecast rights, Goel has alleged that with this, Star India is aiming to, “attain the status of “sole holder” of the telecast rights of all the major cricketing events in India. With this objective in view, and in order to further strengthen its monopolistic position in the field of media distribution rights...Star has initiated various measures which would have far-reaching ramifications…and shall have adverse impact on every stakeholder in the broadcasting industry, starting from the distributors of the TV channels, like the DTH operators and ultimately the end consumers.”

He has stated this in a letter addressed to the officials of Board of Control for Cricket in India, Information and Broadcasting Minister, Chairman of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India and Competition Commission of India.

“The acquisition of the IPL telecast rights by Star would lead to a situation where there will be an absolute monopoly thereby leading to dominance by Star in the field of cricketing telecast rights where Star will, not only compel the distributors of TV channels such as the DTH operators to pay exorbitant price for their channels, but also, make the consumers shell more money from their pockets. Such a situation would not only be anti-competitive but also be anti-consumers,” he said.

COMMENT NOW