BCCI's plans to sell telecast rights to private FM radio operators could create a row with Prasar Bharati, as the public broadcaster today objected to the proposal, saying the FM radio channels were not permitted to air any commentary as per their licence condition.
In a letter to BCCI president Sharad Pawar, Prasar Bharati CEO K S Sarma said, "... It may be pertinent to inform you that no private FM channel in the country, as per their licence condition issued by the Government, is permitted to do any commentary on their radio stations.
"This is for your information so that you put the radio rights for overseas only as part of your tender and continue to give All India Radio the right to broadcast commentary free-of-charge as already announced recently." After a meeting of the marketing committee of its new office-beareres, the BCCI had
said that it would be selling rights separately on various platforms like DTH, FM radio, satellite TV while giving the terrestrial telecast rights to Doordarshan as per the government's new uplinking and downlinking guidelines.
Sarma welcomed the Board's move to allot terrestrial rights to Doordarshan. "We have been wanting this to happen for quite some time. We in Prasar Bharati are extremely grateful to you for this decision to unbundle the terrestrial rights just as you unbundled internet, mobile telephony and SMS rights," Sarma
said.
Source: http://www.outlookindia.com/
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