The Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) perceptible lack of enthusiasm for first class cricket is reflected in its step-motherly treatment of the domestic games. While the Indian Premier League (IPL) — a cash cow in every sense — is beamed across the world through every possible medium (television, web and even in high definition TV), Ranji Trophy fails to attract the cameras. No wonder, the fans could not see the exciting finish between Mumbai and Punjab at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday.
Seventy two Ranji games have been played so far in the season and only three were shown live. While one could understand that only one game in a cluster of games (played simultaneously) can be broadcast, what is beyond comprehension is the BCCI’s failure to broadcast at least one match in each round. The board’s explanation is that televising games in every round is not mandatory.
“It is not necessary that all games, rather all rounds, must be telecast,” says an official who works in the BCCI’s television and production division. “We randomly pick games and show,” he remarked. Unlike in the past, the BCCI has not sold the production rights and does the production of its games — domestic and international — itself.
Inquiries have revealed that the production cost of a four-day game runs up to Rs50 lakh. For the cash rich BCCI, that should not be an issue but the fact is, unlike the IPL, Ranji Trophy is not financially lucrative.
Besides, the Star Network, BCCI’s television rights holders, broadcasts the international matches on different channels — Star Cricket, Star Sports and ESPN HD and a board official said it would not be possible for them to broadcast a Ranji game while an international is under way.
However, Star Network stuck to the position that broadcasting domestic games is the BCCI’s call. “We show every game that the BCCI produces,” said a spokesman.
Interestingly enough, the same Board used its first international broadcast partners TWI to produce a weekly highlights package on domestic cricket, which used to be shown on ESPN during the 1990s.
The board refused to confirm that the broadcasters are contractually bound to show domestic cricket for a certain number of days but Nimbus, which previously held the media rights, was asked to show a minimum 78 days of domestic cricket.
The next match that will be shown live is the Mumbai-Madhya Pradesh game, which will be played in Indore from December 22-25. As the BCCI official said, the match may have been randomly picked but one cannot ignore the fact that the game involves the BCCI secretary’s association.
SOURCE-DNA
Seventy two Ranji games have been played so far in the season and only three were shown live. While one could understand that only one game in a cluster of games (played simultaneously) can be broadcast, what is beyond comprehension is the BCCI’s failure to broadcast at least one match in each round. The board’s explanation is that televising games in every round is not mandatory.
“It is not necessary that all games, rather all rounds, must be telecast,” says an official who works in the BCCI’s television and production division. “We randomly pick games and show,” he remarked. Unlike in the past, the BCCI has not sold the production rights and does the production of its games — domestic and international — itself.
Inquiries have revealed that the production cost of a four-day game runs up to Rs50 lakh. For the cash rich BCCI, that should not be an issue but the fact is, unlike the IPL, Ranji Trophy is not financially lucrative.
Besides, the Star Network, BCCI’s television rights holders, broadcasts the international matches on different channels — Star Cricket, Star Sports and ESPN HD and a board official said it would not be possible for them to broadcast a Ranji game while an international is under way.
However, Star Network stuck to the position that broadcasting domestic games is the BCCI’s call. “We show every game that the BCCI produces,” said a spokesman.
Interestingly enough, the same Board used its first international broadcast partners TWI to produce a weekly highlights package on domestic cricket, which used to be shown on ESPN during the 1990s.
The board refused to confirm that the broadcasters are contractually bound to show domestic cricket for a certain number of days but Nimbus, which previously held the media rights, was asked to show a minimum 78 days of domestic cricket.
The next match that will be shown live is the Mumbai-Madhya Pradesh game, which will be played in Indore from December 22-25. As the BCCI official said, the match may have been randomly picked but one cannot ignore the fact that the game involves the BCCI secretary’s association.
SOURCE-DNA
