SC allows Doordarshan to air ICC World Cup for free

The Supreme Court has stayed the Delhi High Court judgement that had barred public broadcaster Doordarshan from sharing live feed of ICC World Cup matches with cable operators.

This will mean that Doordarshan will now be able to share coverage with ESPN/Star TV, which up until now was the exclusive rights holder. “This arrangement that DD showing free feed had been there for the last seven years. Let it continue,” a Supreme Court bench comprising Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose said in an interim order.

Last week, an order was passed on the plea of the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) in India, ESPN and Star who had contended that cable TV operators were getting live feeds through DD channels free of cost, resulting in loss of revenue for them.

The ICC World Cup kicks off on Saturday 14th February 2015. In the UK, coverage of the tournament will be aired on Sky Sports, with highlights on ITV and ZEE Cinema.

Extracts from NDTV/Deccan Herald