Leading television channels to stay away from IPL

Most television channels in the country on Tuesday decided not to cover the third edition of the Indian Premier League in protest against "arbitrary" guidelines and certain contentious clauses regarding footage of the Twenty20 event.

The News Broadcasters Association, which has 34 channels as its members, said in a statement that the IPL authorities and the official broadcaster of the event, in their meeting on Tuesday, "arbitrarily" refused to abide by the 2008 norms which was endorsed by NBA.

"In view of this position unilaterally taken by IPL/SET MAX, members of the NBA are unable to offer to their viewers any coverage in relation to IPL or its proposed matches," the NBA said.

"Inconvenience caused to our viewers by this unreasonable commercial approach of IPL/SET MAX is regretted," it added.

The international news agencies had boycotted the first two editions of the cash-rich event because of certain contentious clauses in the media accreditation guidelines.

Major global news agencies boycotted the inaugural edition of the IPL in 2008 since the terms and conditions prohibited them from supplying photographs to cricket-specific websites.

The second edition in South Africa witnessed a repeat after the News Media Coalition, the umbrella body that comprises global news and photograph agencies Reuters, AP, AFP and Getty Images, failed to get the tournament's organisers to amend the conditions.

IPL chairman Lalit Modi refused to change rules to allow the agencies cater to cricket-specific websites since the event already had an exclusive agreement with a website to supply news and photos.

The third edition of the tournament will be held at various venues across the country from March 12 to April 25.

The tournament has already run into controversies with the Shiv Sena threatening not to allow the Australian players in Mumbai as long as attacks on Indians living Down Under continue.

One of the teams, Deccan Chargers has also threatened to sue the IPL and skip the event after their home matches were shifted out of Andhra Pradesh because of the ongoing Telengana agitation.