The Pakistan cricket team's tour of India will go ahead next week as a result of an interim ruling by the Madras high court, but the battle for telecast rights between Zee Telefilms and ESPN-Star Sports is far from over.
Ashish Kaul, vice-president (Corporate Brand Development), ESSEL Group, a subsidiary of Zee, said the Madras high court's decision not to award the production rights to either Zee Telefilms Limited or ESPN-Star Sports is a "positive one" in the sense that there is still hope for Zee bagging the telecast rights for furture series.
Delivering its interim order on a petition by Zee Telefilms, Justice K P Sivasubramanian of the Madras high court said on Thursday a ruling on the main dispute would have to wait until later.
"The final judgment will be out in 10 days and we hope that it will be in our favour," said Kaul.
"Zee has nothing to lose. We have waited for a year; we can wait more. It is important that justice should be done. It doesn't make a difference to us but it does to the BCCI," he pointed out.
ESPN-Star Sports Corporate Communications head Himanshu Verma said while the acquisition of telecast rights is a big deal, it will not be the end of the world if ESS does not bag the rights.
"ESPN is a professional company whose business it is to show sport. We have the rights to several other sports which are getting bigger by the day. Formula One interest is sky high with Narain Karthikeyan's upcoming debut; there is tennis sensation Sania Mirza, and the Premier Hockey League garnered good TRP ratings," he said.
"Even the English Premier League (EPL) and Champions League are garnering huge numbers in the metros," Verma added.
The television rights dispute, involving the BCCI and Zee, has been pending in Madras high court since last October. A few days back the BCCI announced that they incurred losses amounting to Rs 150 crores due to its failure in awarding the telecast rights for the Australia and South Africa series.
"It is sad that for so long the BCCI has been run according to the whims and fancies of one man [Jagmohan Dalmiya]. That one man is responsible for the entire mess," said Kaul, adding he is trying to find out what Dalmiya really has against Zee though he always comes up against a wall.
Kaul also alleged that the BCCI wants to ensure the bid for telecast rights is won by ESPN-Star Sports.
Zee has accused the BCCI of reneging on a US$308 million deal under which it was to be given the sole rights to televise Indian cricket matches.
BCCI first made the offer to Zee Telefilms, but later backtracked and offered it to ESPN-Star Sports.
"We had an understanding with the BCCI. They awarded the rights to us. Then, at the last moment they invite ESS to make a fresh bid. Why was that done?
"It's clear to everyone concerned that the BCCI is siding with ESS on the issue," said Kaul.
ESPN-Star Sports' Verma refused to comment on the issue, saying it does not make sense to respond to such an allegation.
The battle for telecast rights is far from finished, as even after a decision is arrived at in the Madras high court, both parties can still approach the division bench in the Supreme Court.
Given the BCCI's unprofessional attitude, one shouldn't be surprised if a similar situation surfaces again when another team tours. Whatever the reasons for the current mess, one thing is certain: it could certainly have been avoided.