For the first time in its 84- year- old history, the BCCI has added an in-house television production unit and it will make debut with the home Test series against New Zealand next month.
The BCCI Broadcasting Services will not only do the production for international home series, but also the Indian Premier League ( IPL) and Champions League T20.
“Yes, a decision has been taken and the BCCI will do the production now, starting with the New Zealand series. We decided at a working committee meeting to go ahead with it,” BCCI president N Srinivasan told M AIL T ODAY . The two- Test series against New Zealand begins on August 23 in Uppal, Hyderabad. The Kiwis will also play two Twenty20 Internationals in a packed season in which England and Australia — and possibly Pakistan — too will visit India.
Till now, the company that held the BCCI media rights also used to do the production work, too, in return for a fee. Nimbus Communications held the previous contract.
But after terminating its contract on December 12 last year, for regularly defaulting on payments, the BCCI did not hire anyone to do the production for international matches as well as domestic tournaments.
SRINIVASAN declined to give reasons for breaking the traditional practice.
“ Instead of tendering it, we decided to do production ourselves. What were the reasons behind this decision, I do not want to disclose,” he said.
However, a top BCCI official said that the world’s richest cricket board decided against floating tender as it was confronting “ a lot of problems”, and they resulted from extremely limited options in the market.
“ It is a fact that the Indian market for this kind of production work is very limited. There are only a handful of companies that have the expertise. And the BCCI has been finding it difficult to deal with them,” the official told Mail Today.
When the BCCI terminated Nimbus’ contract, more than two years were left in the 2010- 2014 deal. The BCCI then floated tenders, inviting companies to bid for a total of six years — two years left in the Nimbus contract plus a separate four- year ( 2014- 18) block.
The Rupert Murdoch- owned STAR India Ltd., which was one of the only two bidders, quoted ` 3,851.52 crore ($ 757.6 million) to bag the six- year deal that includes the television, mobile and internet rights. It, however, did not hire STAR India Ltd. for production.
The BCCI assured STAR India Ltd. of 96 international matches in addition to select domestic tournament matches. Multi Screen Media ( Singapore) bid ` 3,700.032, only to lose by a huge difference of ` 151.488 crore.
In 2005, Lalit Modi, then a Board vice- president, and IS Bindra, president of the Punjab Cricket Association, had announced that the BCCI would launch its own cricket channel. But it never materialised.
The BCCI official said that Srinivasan himself raised the issue of inhouse production at a recent working committee meeting.
“ He told the gathering that only a handful of production houses were available and emphasised that the BCCI was finding it difficult to deal with its production partners,” he disclosed. “ Srinivasan invited members’ opinion on the proposal that was on the table. The proposal was prepared by BCCI’s Broadcasting Services director James Rego.” The official revealed that Srinivasan then requested IPL chief operating officer Sundar Raman, who was a special invitee at the working committee meeting, to explain the proposal in detail.
“He said that if the BCCI has an in- house production unit, the quality of telecast could be maintained,” he said. “ BCCI will also produce IPL and Champions League T20. The house approved the proposal unanimously.” Sources say that the BCCI has no plans to purchase expensive equipment straightaway, but will instead hire cameras and other gadgets for production, to be overseen by Rego, who joined the BCCI in 2009 from Nimbus. A few more old Nimbus hands have also joined the BCCI Broadcast Services.
“After the working committee approved the proposal, the top guns of the BCCI Broadcast Services have been calling a variety of professionals to hire them for the New Zealand series and the domestic season that begins on September 21 with the Irani Cup.” In all probability, the same freelance professionals who did duty for Nimbus will turn out for the BCCI too.
BCCI president N Srinivasan confirms the decision but declines to give reasons for departing from traditional practice
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