India ordered sports television channels, radio stations and content providers on Thursday to share live telecast rights with the state broadcaster for sporting events of "national importance" at home and abroad.
Analysts said the move is the first towards a planned law making it mandatory for private broadcasters to share major sports events with Prasar Bharati, legislation the government hopes to pass in the parliament session beginning this month.
"The union cabinet gave its approval to ... the Sports Broadcasting Ordinance, 2007, to make it obligatory to every content right owner and TV and radio broadcasting service provided to share live telecast signals," the statement said.
The decision came after courts had to intervene to persuade private Indian broadcaster Nimbus Communications Ltd. to share a live feed of the recent India versus West Indies cricket series following the government's failure to force it to do so.
Nimbus relented but insisted Prasar broadcast the pictures with a seven-minute delay.
Legal battles precede almost every major cricket series involving India, world cricket's commercial hub.
The government wants all matches on its free-to-air terrestrial channel because millions of fans in the cricket-mad country cannot afford cable TV.
Nimbus paid $612 million last February for the rights to broadcast all international cricket played in India -- under the auspices of the Board of Cricket Control in India -- until 2010 after an intense bidding war with rival broadcasters.
Thursday's decision means Prasar will get to telecast in a similar fashion the four-match series between India and Sri Lanka and the cricket World Cup in March.
Apart from Nimbus, the move applies to Zee Telefilms, Star Sports, ESPN and Sony, which all hold cricket telecast rights.
It is unclear how broadly the government would insist on feed sharing and which other sports may be included.
Sports Broadcasters said they are waiting for the ordinance to be issued before planning the next move.
"I think the industry is waiting for the ordinance to come out and respond after having a look at it," Harish Thawani, chief executive of Nimbus, said.
