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IPL and Broadcasters Continue to Haggle

The News Broadcasters Association (NBA), which has 34 channels in its fold, had announced a boycott of the IPL against some fresh “arbitrary” guidelines and contentious clauses regarding the use of the footage of the popular tournament.

“We are still sticking to our boycott decision, though negotiations are on,” an NBA member said.

He said the bone of contention is a diktat from the IPL authorities that non-rights broadcasters could air the footages only half an hour after a match.

In its inaugural edition in 2008, the IPL had agreed to allow non-rights broadcasters to air fresh footage soon after the game ended.

“This new clause has put us in a difficult situation. Suppose two matches are played on a given day. The first match stretches up to 730pm while the second begins at 8pm. Now, due to this half-an-hour delay clause, we can broadcast footage of the match only after the second game starts. But do you think the viewers will be interested in the first game’s action when the second match is on?” the NBA member asked.

“And if the second match finishes at 11.30pm, we can broadcast the footage only after midnight. Who will watch it then?” Sources said the IPL authorities have now agreed to reduce the time gap to 15 minutes, but that has failed to impress the channels.

“Very often, the IPL matches stretch past the alloted time. They may go up to 7.45pm to 7.50pm and that means the channels can air the visuals only when the second match is on,” the member said. IPL vice-chairman Niranjan Shah agreed the boycott could adversely hit the franchisee owners and the sponsors, who have a lot at stake.

“Yes, they will be at a disadvantage. But what can we do? The issues have not been sorted out yet. We are in negotiations with them and we hope to find a solution,” Shah said.

Another contentious issue on the length of footage, however, has now been resolved. Earlier, the IPL had said the channels could only use 120 seconds of footage per match. “They have now removed the restrictions on the quantity of footage. But unless the timing issue is sorted out, what will we do with the lengthy footage?” the NBA member said.

There are other issues too, like a cap on the reuse of the footage, but the NBA member said: “These are minor problems. Once the main issue of the 30-minute delay clause is resolved, the other issues will be sorted out.” —