Restricting ad breaks to drinks, lunch and tea intervals for international cricket Tests and one-day games will have a crippling effect on the income of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, and will also impact valuations of current and future broadcast rights, believe experts.

Justice RM Lodha Committee had suggested reforms to the functioning of the BCCI. Currently, hearings are going on at the apex court on petitions challenging some of the recommendations of the Lodha panel.

If these suggestions are implemented, then, besides reduction in income, there will be other challenges as cricket is telecast globally and other cricket boards are under no such restrictions, sources close to the BCCI said. “This could mean they will continue running ads between overs and fall of wicket even if the Indian cricket board runs ads just during breaks,” said a source.

According to reports, Star India has already sought re-negotiation of their contract if the recommendation is implemented.

As per the annual report of the BCCI, its total income stood at ₹1,266.41 crore in 2014-15. The BCCI had earlier told the apex court that such a move would cripple its income as broadcasters would pay only a fraction of the amount they earlier paid for broadcast rights for ODIs, while generating little interest for rights for Test matches.

Indranil Das Blah, partner and COO, CAA-KWAN, said restriction of ads will have a huge adverse impact. “Sports across the world depend on advertising revenues. And, broadcast rights revenues contribute in a big way to sport bodies’ revenues,” he said.

Sports broadcasters say they already take measures to ensure uninterrupted viewership of matches — such as cutting ads midway if an over starts and ensuring the L-shaped ads on the screen are run without sound to avoid distractions for viewers.

Rohit Gupta, president, MSM India, said if the recommendation is implemented, it will adversely impact the kind of money broadcasters will be willing to pay for media rights. “It will also impact the development of the game and the entire eco-system of cricket,” he added. Ashish Bhasin, Chairman and CEO - South Asia, Dentsu Aegis Network, said fewer ad spots could lead to rise in ad rates, making it unaffordable for brands. He said, while steps are definitely needed to improve the image of cricket, these steps need to be implemented in a balanced manner so they would not impact the valuations and economy of the game.

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