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Gin
25 Oct 12 15:25
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Date Joined: 02 Jun 03
| Topic/replies: 5,133 | Blogger: Gin's blog
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http://www.espncricinfo.com/india-v-england-2012/content/current/story/588122.html

Sky Sports appears set to provide commentary on England's forthcoming tour of India from its west London headquarters rather than on site after refusing to pay an additional £500,000 demanded by the BCCI to work inside the grounds.

The BBC may also follow suit after being asked to pay an extra fee to allow its Test Match Special radio service access to broadcasting facilities.

On Thursday, the Times newspaper reported that Sky has refused to meet the BCCI's request. It also said that the India board had asked the BBC for an additional £50,000, with TMS commentator Jonathan Agnew later confirming the situation.

"India tour crisis deepens and involves TMS. BBC has rights but like Sky, now charged for commentary boxes - to be allowed in, in other words," Agnew tweeted. "Real danger that TV and radio commentary will all be done from home, rather than India (if we do it at all)."

Negotiations with Sky have been taking place for more than a week after a last-minute move by the BCCI to charge what it labelled "realistic costs" for use of facilities. Sky felt it had already paid this as part of its rights package, with no other governing body making such extra financial demands of broadcasters.

In response, the BCCI has maintained its stance over asking Sky to pay for the additional costs that will have to be incurred.

A BCCI official, preferring anonymity, said: "It is not as if they have only asked for a commentary box. They have demanded a full control room, just like the one that our host broadcaster has at every venue. If you have to create an additional space of 2000 sq ft, fully air-conditioned, it will bear a lot of cost. And neither the BCCI nor any of our affiliated units who would be hosting the match would bear the additional cost."

If Sky do not send their team, which includes former England captains Mike Atherton, Nasser Hussain and Ian Botham, it will be the first time in 20 years that an England Test series overseas will not have British TV commentary from within the venues.

Instead Sky will take the pictures supplied by Star TV, the host broadcaster, but will use its own commentary team, who will be based in Isleworth. It is understood that Star's commentary will also be available via the red-button option.
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Report donny osmond October 25, 2012 4:14 PM BST
if sky and bbc dont go then their commentators will probably end up on star anyway
Report Chatname? October 25, 2012 5:17 PM BST
Whatever the rights and wrongs of this, it seems that the lawyers who penned/checked the (media rights) contracts should be a little red-faced.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing but it seems obvious now that the contracts should have contained some clause covering the provision of the necessary facilities
Report DStyle October 25, 2012 5:27 PM BST
slightly amusing to hear agnew being his usual pompous self and resorting to absurdly grand hyberbole in describing the situation as a crisis.

the BCCI are being a bunch of prize bellends playing a childish game of brinkmanship. the very idea that facilities for host broadcasters form an additional part of the contract is risible.
Report DStyle October 25, 2012 5:27 PM BST
*facilities for the foreign broadcasters
Report Injera October 25, 2012 6:18 PM BST
Can't wait for the Test Series.

I would LOVE it if we won....
Report Gin October 26, 2012 10:01 AM BST
Bit more explanation here:

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http://www.espncricinfo.com/india-v-england-2012/content/current/story/588166.html

The BCCI remains firm in its demand of what it calls "realistic costs" of providing space and access for independent TV and radio commentary teams from Sky TV and BBC's Test Match Special to cover England's tour of India which is due to begin in early November.

Officials have refused to make a statement on the matter but ESPNcricinfo understands that the BCCI has not signed any rights deals or contract with either Sky or TMS. The dispute of the amounts mentioned - £500,000 (US$806,000) for Sky and £50,000 (US$80,000) for BBC - has arisen because, for the first time, the BCCI holds production rights for the coverage of Indian cricket.

Sky and BBC have signed sub-licencee agreements with Star TV which is the owner of "global media rights" of Indian cricket which will give them access to the world feed. As Star is not in charge of production, the arrangements to set up independent commentary teams and provide access to commentary boxes and independent studios must be made between sub-licencees and the production house, in this case the BCCI.

A BCCI official, preferring anonymity, said: "It is not as if they have only asked for a commentary box. They have demanded a full control room, just like the one our host broadcaster has at every venue. If you have to create an additional space of 2000 sq ft, fully air-conditioned, it will bear a lot of cost. And neither the BCCI nor any of our affiliated units who would be hosting the match would bear the additional cost."

In the past, the TV channel that owned the rights, usually also controlled production. During tours by visiting teams, the cost of providing access and facilities to commentary teams from overseas was worked out between the production house and the foreign media channels. The "access fees" were worked out through mutual relationships between the broadcast and production companies. Costs have often been waived and even if the extent of the support required was substantial, the fees were arrived at following mutually-agreeable discussions.

With the BCCI owning production rights to all cricket out of India, the visiting broadcast companies must independently negotiate costs over and above what it has paid the rights owners for sub-licences. Just after Star won its global media rights, a joint ESPNStar production team had made a pitch for production rights of cricket in India but had not won the contract.

BCCI is not the only cricket board that owns production rights: Cricket South Africa's global rights are sold to SuperSport but it keeps production under its own control. Under CSA's terms, the Board has the final say on its commentary team for its home audience while IMG takes care of some of camera crew and graphics and also sorts out the agreements between independent visiting commentary teams.


The fees being asked for by the BCCI from Sky and BBC for production costs have led the visiting broadcasters to suggest they may decide to provide independent commentary from their UK headquarters off a television set rather than live action at the venue.
Report nigelpm1 October 26, 2012 10:52 AM BST
does it really matter where the commentary team are based?

It's not like pictures being beamed straight into the W.London studio will be more than a second behind the live action.

I don't blame Sky for standing their ground.
Report Gin November 2, 2012 8:49 AM GMT
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http://www.espncricinfo.com/india-v-england-2012/content/story/589371.html?CMP=outlook_news

BBC agrees deal to cover England tour

The BBC has resolved its stand-off with the BCCI and come to an agreement that will see Test Match Special broadcast from the grounds during England's tour of India. The BCCI had reportedly demanded a fee of £50,000, in addition to the sum paid for radio rights, to allow the BBC access to facilities, although it has not been confirmed whether this has now been paid or not.

"We are pleased to confirm that Test Match Special will broadcast England's cricket tour of India from the grounds after agreement was reached with all parties," a BBC spokesman said.

Sky Sports has already indicated that it will not be sending its commentary team to India, after being asked for an extra payment of £500,000. The impasse had arisen because the BCCI retains production rights for the series and wanted to cover "realistic costs". Both Sky and the BBC have agreements as sub-licencees with Star TV.

There had been a suggestion that the BBC, which counts Jonathan Agnew, Geoffrey Boycott and Michael Vaughan among its Test Match Special team, could choose not to cover the series at all rather than follow Sky's lead and do so from the UK. However, two weeks before the start of the first Test in Ahmedabad, that situation has been averted.

© ESPN EMEA Ltd.
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