The Hindu Business Line : DD to get Ten Sports feed for all matches

IT now seems all about producing the bills and calculating the losses incurred. The Supreme Court's interim-order directing Ten Sports to give its feed to the national broadcaster, Prasar Bharati, for the on-going Indo-Pak series has set the two assessing the damages.

DD will now carry signals of Ten Sports along with the logo, advertisements and half-hour programmes before and after the match.

Even as the SC today asked Prasar Bharati to deposit Rs 50 crore within the next seven days for assessment of damages later on, the distributors of Ten Sports, Cable Distributors Network (CDN) has estimated its initial damages to be Rs 208 crore.

Taj Television, Dubai has said that losses would be incurred on account of breach of contract if the DD signals overlaps into other countries such as the Gulf or rest of Asia, while Prasar Bharati is putting together figures of its carriage costs, opportunity loss, costs loss in advertising revenues. The SC had said that all the damages could be assessed and computed at the final hearing of the case on April 15.

Speaking to newspersons after stating that Ten Sports would abide by the SC order, Mr Chris McDonald, CEO, Taj Television, Dubai said, "The SC has assured that such damages shall also be payable by DD. This assurance can be taken together with the voluntary statement of the Attorney General that in the event of such breaches and the consequent damages, DD is liable."

Mr Lalit Modi, President, CDN said that the Rs 208 crore is the initial estimate and the final amount would be made available to the Court at the next hearing.

Meanwhile Prasar Bharati's Chief, Mr K.S. Sarma said that the Court's decision has upheld public interest. "On the final hearing, we will convey our losses to the Supreme Court."

Sources said that the losses incurred by DD could be over Rs 70 crore that includes a carriage cost of about Rs 60 crore and opportunity loss due to yanking off programmes on the days the matches are played at Rs 10-15 crore.

Interestingly, despite the SC order, both Ten Sports and Prasar Bharati today said that it would not be averse to an out-of-court settlement. The Supreme Court today said that the national broadcaster should not use the exclusive telecast right of another channel for its commercial gains.

While Prasar Bharati once again offered to pay, Ten Sports did not agree to do so. Doordarshan today reiterated its offer of $10 million (around Rs 45 crore) was much higher than the $0.5 million (around Rs 2.26 crore) paid by PTV for simulcast of the matches.

Also, Ten Sports today filed a contempt application against Doordarshan accusing it of violating the SC orders not to show its own advertisements during the Rawalpindi one-day international match.

The court issued notice to the Doordarshan and the Centre on the allegation that the national channel showed its own programmes during the lunch break aided with its advertisement content.