I&B plans move to ease telecast of sports events

New Delhi: In what could be termed as a bonanza for sports and cricket loving citizens of the country, the Union information and brodcasting ministry has proposed to amend the Sports Broadcasting Signals (mandatory sharing with Prasar Bharati) Act, 2007. With the proposed amendment to the Act, public service broadcaster Doordarshan will not only be able to air the feed it gets from private sports broadcasters on its terrestrial network and “free dish”, but also on cable networks. Interestingly, the amendment aims to get around the Supreme Court order of 2017 which had put a stay on such a sharing.

This newspaper had first on January 27 reported the Modi government is contemplating to bring in regulations to allow telecast of all sporting events of national importance on Doordarshan channels carried on DTH platforms.

Sources stated that the I&B ministry has sought suggestions and opinion on the proposed amendment to the Act from the stakeholders, including the public and the industry. The move comes after the I&B ministry received the opinion of the law and justice ministry regarding the issue. The government had been studying the proposal for mandatory sharing of telecast feed provision for those who could not afford to pay for cable TV subscription. However, the move is being seen as a blow to sports broadcasters, and the industry is expected to make its displeasure known to the ministry soon, industry sources added.

It is learnt that the move to bring in the new broadcast regulations aims to ease telecast of sporting events after last year’s Supreme Court decision that Prasar Bharati can air the feed from private broadcasters, only on terrestrial network and free dish, but not on Doordarshan channels carried by cable operators and private DTH platforms.