Non-news channels will have to shell out up to Rs 1 lakh daily fee for live telecast of sporting events: Report

Live telecast of sporting events in India might now come with a hefty price. In what can be termed as a big blow to sports and entertainment channels, the government has decided to demand its pound of flesh, imposing a fee of up to Rs 1 lakh per day for uplinking of live sporting events by ’non-news’ channels, according to report in Mint. The fee for regional channels would be Rs 50,000, while for national channels, it would be twice that amount. [caption id=“attachment_4266613” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] The Mumbai Indians squad celebrate after winning the IPL 2017 title. AFP[/caption] As can be imagined, this decision by the information and broadcasting ministry would have far-reaching implications, given that a number of sporting events, from international and domestic matches, to popular leagues like the Indian Premier League (IPL), Indian Super League (ISL) and Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) are shown live at present by ’non-news’ channels. The executive of a broadcasting company told Mint on the condition of anonymity that this decision by the government would lead to a big overahead cost, which no company would have accounted for. Sony Pictures Network, which runs 11 sports channels, told the daily that this move “could act as a deterrent to broadening viewership”. It is inimical to the government’s stated policy to promote ease of doing business and the prime minister’s Khelo India initiative, an industry executive told the daily. India has five sports broadcasters that include Star India, Sony Pictures Network, Discovery Communications, Nimbus Communications Ltd and state-owned Doordarshan, with the first two being the most dominant players. One would recall that in September this year, Star India bagged the IPL media rights for all markets (digital and television) for five years, with a massive bid of 16,347.5 crore (approximately $2.5 billion). This amount was twice as much as that bid by World Sports Group nine years ago. Would such a move now by the govenment make the broadcasters rethink their strategy on broadcasting matches live?