ITV

Tag: Sahara One

  • Sahara One’s ‘Sati’ to launch on 29 May at 8 pm

    Sahara One’s ‘Sati’ to launch on 29 May at 8 pm

    MUMBAI: Sahara One Television has launched yet another new primetime show with a strong female protagonist. Sati… Satya Ki Shakti will be aired in the 8 pm slot from Mondays to Fridays from 29 May and will replace Buniyaad.

    What’s interesting here is that the story has been penned by Rang De Basanti writer Kamlesh Pandey and his team of writers. Sati… is about a victim of rape, who fights for her rights, challenges the decisions of the law and attains justice. The show revolves around an all women law firm who are shown to be fighting their personal and professional battles at home and in the court.

    The show has been produced by Percept Picture Company and is directed by Hemant Prabhu.
    Sahara One Television COO Purnendu Bose said, “Sati… Satya Ki Shakti is the story of today’s changing times, where women are speaking up not only for themselves but for others as well. This show is yet another colour and feather in the cap of Sahara One Television entertainment basket – Television Ka Naya Rang. This is a story about one woman’s fight against the atrocities committed against other women. Above all, it sends out a message of hope that justice will prevail if women stand together in times of adversity.”

    Pandey added, “Sati… Satya Ki Shakti is a meaningful subject, which means the ‘power of truth.’ It is a unique concept on Indian television where the dividing line between fiction and reality almost disappears.”

    Yet again, Sahara One has made an attempt to dish out something different from the staple TRP topping kitchen politics on Indian television. The channel’s other shows with strong female protagonists include Woh Rehne Waali Mehlon Ki, Haare Kaanch Ki Chuudiyan, Kituu Sabb Jaantii Hai and the most recent – Suno… Harr Dill Kuchh Kehtaa Hai.

  • Sahara One bags telecast rights of Rockstars 2006 concert

    Sahara One bags telecast rights of Rockstars 2006 concert

    MUMBAI: Sahara One Television has bagged the telecast rights of the Rockstars 2006 Bollywood concert, which involves names like Salman Khan, John Abraham, Shahid Kapur, Zayed Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Mallika Sherawat and Esha Deol. These stars are currently touring Canada, US and UK for the same.

    The Rockstars 2006 concert consists of 15 shows over a period of 45 days to be held across the above mentioned countries in May and June. However, the telecast date of the shows on Sahara One have not yet been decided.

    Apart from telecasting the concert, Sahara One will also be airing a 12-episode interactive special on the concerts with the stars. Behind the scenes of their stay and exclusive footage from rehearsals, interviews, run-up to the big show, the hustle of the green room, and the moments building up to the final show is what is lined up on the channel.

    Sahara One Media and Entertainment Limited CEO Shantonu Aditya said, “It has always been our constant endeavour to connect with our audiences by reinventing entertainment options. Bollywood is something that perks up every Indian soul. The fact that the Rockstars 2006 will be held at USA, Canada and UK explains the huge appeal of Bollywood in these countries. We wanted to give our Indian audiences a feel of the same vibe and are therefore pleased to bring the Rockstars 2006 to our viewers.”

  • Sahara, DD ad sales revenues for England series gross Rs 2 billion

    Sahara, DD ad sales revenues for England series gross Rs 2 billion

    MUMBAI: The first chapter of Nimbus’ boss Harish Thawani’s audacious gamble with the India cricket story is over with a battered English side glad to be back in the cooler climes of Old Blighty and the Indians getting some well deserved rest before they head out to the Caribbean.

    For Thawani however, the rollercoaster he’s been on since his Nimbus Communications swung the telecast rights to India cricket for the next four years with a bank-breaking $ 612.18 million composite bid has barely begun. The India-England tour — the first of ten international series (and four domestic cricket seasons) that constitutes the deal — is over and the calculators are out tallying the revenue numbers.

    Indiantelevision.com’s discussions on the matter with media buyers indicate that the series, which involved three Tests and six ODIs (one was washed out), has generated about Rs 2003 million in ad sales from national broadcaster Doordarshan and Sahara One. Going by these calculations, DD accounted for Rs 987 million while Sahara One mopped up Rs 1016 million.

    But what is of critical importance to Nimbus is really how much it is able to net from this series. Indiantelevision.com estimates show the ad sales revenue picture for this series looking something like this: Nimbus’ Net income from DD is Rs 630 million (deducting 25% share to DD and 15% agency commission) and for Sahara it is Rs 864 million. That makes a total of just under Rs 1500 million ($ 35 million).

    Considering that Nimbus’ bid for the India territory rights was a whopping $ 504.09 million, there’s a huge mountain still that Thawani’s privately held Mumbai sports management company has left to climb to clear the profit threshold.

    THAWANI’S GAMEPLAN

    Having said that, and going by a recent report in Forbes, Thawani is already in the clear on the international territory rights (Nimbus’ bid here broke down as $ 108.09 million). The report says that Nimbus has sold BCCI’s telecast rights internationally for $130 million. The jury’s still out on that one though, with some industry observers calculating that Nimbus could not have made more than $ 89 million from the sale of international rights.

    As for the India part, everything points to Nimbus launching its own sports channel before the end of the year and for this the market expectation is that Thawani will soon be announcing another round of funding for this purpose.

    Thawani claims that investors are currently valuing Nimbus at $400 million to $500 million, which would mean that Nimbus has tripled in valuation terms in less than a year. It was last August that UK-based private equity and venture fund 3i acquired around 33 per cent stake in Nimbus for $45.50 million (approx Rs 1.97 billion).

    In conclusion, what is the downside in this gamble (for Thawani and any investor who wants to buy into his vision) and what could be the upside. That is really what will have guided Thawani in making what still remains a hugely difficult play to pull off. As the head of a broadcast concern told Indiantelevision.com, the current thinking is that there is just no way anyone can make more than $ 550 million from this deal. So at the outset itself, Nimbus is looking at a $ 62 million hit on its investment, or $ 15.5 million per year spread over four years.

    But there is the upside as well, which is that with all the new broadcast delivery platforms that are opening (DTH, IPTV, mobile TV) and if all the constellations of a booming economy, a brilliantly performing team and the kind of possibilities that a young on-the-go populace provide are in consonance, then $ 800 million might well be within reach.

    Before jumping to conclusions either way, it might be worth remembering a certain Kunal Dasgupta and his now well documented masterstroke of a gamble on the ICC cricket rights in 2002 for a then unheard of $ 208 million. There is no one who today does not see the SET India CEO’s bid as a really inspired play.

    A potential loss of $ 62 million versus a best case gain of $ 200 million. Which way the dice falls by the time 2010 comes around will determine whether Thawani is ultimately acknowledged as a visionary or someone whose go for broke gamble went bust. Unsurprisingly, there are many a respected industry stalwart who believe that if anyone can pull this off, it is the fashionably bald head honcho of Nimbus.

  • Creative Eye forays into sports marketing, celebrity management

    Creative Eye forays into sports marketing, celebrity management

    MUMBAI: Production house Creative Eye Ltd has made a foray into sports marketing and celebrity management. The company has begun the innings by marketing the telecast rights of the on going EurAsia Cup Cricket Series. It is planning to include tennis also under the purview.

    “Creative Eye’s aim is to function as an event promoter and rights holder of sports properties. We will be negotiating with private broadcasters as well as Doordarshan. We have started with the EurAsia cricket series and propose to hold the series every year, thus establishing our mark in the field of sports. Another segment we are very serious about is tennis,” states Creative Eye director Dheeraj Kumar.

    In an official communiqué, Creative Eye said its foray into sports had opened new avenues for the company in terms of revenue generations and also added new horizons for the company’s overall growth. “We are targeting revenue of $3 million out of the first EurAsia Cup series,” says Kumar.

    The first edition of the EurAsia Cup Cricket Series is currently underway in Abu Dhabi. As already reported, Sahara One Media & Entertainment Ltd. acquired the satellite rights of the series from Creative Eye. Now the production house has brought Prasar Bharati also on board to telecast the series from 29 April, when the second leg of the series begins. The matches will be aired live on DD Sports from 4 pm onwards, apart from the satellite telecast on Sahara One’s Hindi movie channel Filmy.

    Jawaharlal Nehru Sports Trust , in association with the Abu Dhabi Cricket Council has conceptualised the EurAsia Cup Cricket Series, which features India A, Pakistan A, Sri Lanka A, Holland, Ireland and the United Arab Emirates. Jawaharlal Nehru Sports Trust’s sports wing V K Sports then signed Creative Eye to market the telecast rights of the event.

    “Regarding EurAsia, our responsibility is to market the telecast rights and also ensure that the logistics are in place. This is a cash-less deal. Jawaharlal Nehru Sports Trust’s interest in the initiative is to promote the young cricketing talents in this country,” explains Kumar.

    Creative Eye is planning to market two more sports events this year, including a tennis tournament. Celebrity management is another area the company is planning a foray into. “We have already initiated with prominent sportspersons of the country, including various new talents in cricket. We will be divulging the names as soon as the deals are through,” says Kumar.

  • B4U acquires overseas movie telecast rights from Sahara for Rs 15 million

    B4U acquires overseas movie telecast rights from Sahara for Rs 15 million

    MUMBAI: B4U Group has acquired overseas TV telecast rights to around 35 movies from Sahara One Media and Entertainment Ltd. for Rs 15 million.

    The movies include Page 3, Sarkar and Hanuman. B4U will also have telecast rights to some of Boney Kapoor’s films. Last year, Sahara had acquired satellite and pay TV broadcast rights worldwide and in perpetuity to the entire library of Kapoor’s films.

    B4U Movies can show these films in all other markets except India. The channel has a presence in more than 100 countries including the US, UK, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Mauritius and Canada.

    “We have taken rights to around 35 films from Sahara for our international channels. These include strong lineups like Sarkar, Hanuman and Page 3, but include some library products as well. The rights are non exclusive,” said a source in B4U.

    B4U’s Indian operations, however, continue to be starved of funds. The company has stopped movie acquisitions in India for almost two years. Though B4U gave carriage fee to cable TV operators for beefing up distribution of its two channels (B4U Movies and B4U Music) across the country, very little investment has been made on content.

  • Sivasankaran buys 14.98 % in Sahara One for Rs 1.2 billion

    Sivasankaran buys 14.98 % in Sahara One for Rs 1.2 billion

    MUMBAI: If the news and radio space swung into acquisition mode early this year, it is the other areas of media business which are now attracting investors. NRI businessman C Sivasankaran is pumping in Rs 1.2 billion to acquire 14.98 per cent stake in Sahara One Media & Entertainment Ltd.

    Indiantelevision.com had earlier reported that Sivasankaran was in talks to put in around Rs 1.2 billion for a minority stake in Sahara One. Ernst & Young had valued the company at Rs 7 billion.

    Sahara One will make a preferential allotment of 32,25,000 shares (of Rs 10 each) at Rs 372 per share to Aircel Televentures Ltd (Sivasankaran’s company). With this divestment, the promoters will hold 73 per cent, according to a Sahara Group spokesperson.

    BCCL’s (Times Group holding company Bennet Coleman & Co Ltd) stake will be less than 6 per cent and Aircel Televentures will have 14.98 per cent while the rest will be with the public.

    “Aircel Televentures has recognized the potential of the movies and TV business in which Sahara One operates and agreed to invest. The funds generated through this move will be utilised in expanding our business in movie and television business,” the spokesperson said.

    The Sahara One board has approved the proposal of issuing the equity shares to Aircel Televentures on preferential basis. The board, which met today, has also called for an Extraordinary General Meeting of the company on 8 May. The shares will be issued subject to shareholders’ approval.

    Sahara is also planning to raise up to $50 million, for which it has obtained an enabling resolution. “Sivasankaran’s investments will be used for expanding the business. We also plan to raise up to $50 million,” a company executive said.

    Sahara is launching a music channel, adding up to a bouquet of general entertainment and movie channels. Sahara Group also owns a string of news channels.

    Sivsankaran’s first media investment was in ETC Networks where he held 40 per cent stake. He went on diluting equity and exited from the company which was later acquired by Zee Telefilms.

  • Hindi GECs in summer overdrive

    “We will have to speak to our competitors and see how they are placed before scheduling our press conference,” says a PR executive who works for one of the leading Hindi general entertainment channels.The interesting comment came when we told her about the big day ‘24 April‘ that would witness the launch of about five programmes across the channels.

    Yes, this summer is about to witness a programming bonanza in the general entertainment channel (GEC) space, with not less than eight prime time shows being lined up for launch during this April-May phase. Both the weekday and weekend prime time bands will witness a flurry of activity and the shows gearing up for launch include some big budget projects as well. Star Plus, Sony, Zee, Sahara One and Sab, all will be launching an array of soaps during this time.

    Star Plus will replace its daily soap Milee with the much-awaited Ravi Chopra production Viraasat. The show will run Monday to Thursday in the 9 pm slot, starting 24 April. The channel has also lined up two shows — Prithviraj Chauhan, Dharti Ka Ek Veer Yodha and Ek Chaabi Pados Mein — for launch in May.

    According to Star India senior creative director Shailja Kejriwal, Prithviraj Chauhan will run Friday to Sunday, while Ek Chaabi Pados Mein is yet to be scheduled. “Prithviraj Chauhan will run Friday through Sunday. Internal discussions are going on to decide the time slot for this show, as well as the exact schedule for Ek Chaabi Pados Mein,” says Kejriwal.

    The channel has been working on these three projects since a long time as it required strong properties to fill the void left by its weekend driver show KBC 2. With the launch of these three big projects — two in the weekend band and one in the weekday band — Star Plus‘ attempt will be to bring in some significant improvement as well as consistency to its performance in the prime time band across the week.

    Sony, on the other hand, is now eyeing weekdays and is introducing two new shows on 24 April, after strengthening its Friday band with its Shukra Hai Shukravaar Hai package. Aisa Des Hai Mera will be aired at 9 pm and Thodi Khushi Thode Gham at 9.30 pm from 24 April. The shows will run from Monday to Thursday.

    On Monday and Tuesday, these two new shows will replace the second season of Indian Idol, which is coming to its end. Whereas, on Wednesday and Thursday, the two shows will substitute Deal Ya No Deal, which is now being made into a weekly and will air only on Friday at 8 pm.

    The channel is unveiling its programming strategy gradually. While the first one was to strengthen the Friday line up, the second is to ramp up the 9 to10 pm band on weekdays.

    In the next couple of months, Sony will also be revamping the 10 to 11 pm band as well as the afternoon band, where the latter at present comprises re-runs of old shows and repeats of prime time shows. Also, Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahi, which airs from Monday to Thursday at 10 pm will end its run in May and new shows are likely to be introduced then.

    Says Sony Entertainment Television (SET) India chief operating officer NP Singh, “We will be rolling out our new programming strategy step by step in the coming months. The beginning was made with the Friday lineup. By July, the programming schedule of Sony will be completely transformed.”

    Sony‘s move to strengthen its weekday programming with fiction will also see the channel taking a deliberate retreat from the reality terrain. Once Indian Idol 2 bids adieu, the channel will have its reality dose further scaled down with only Fear Factor there to represent the genre.

    Sab TV will be also be launching a new show – Twinkle Beauty Parlour in May in the 9 pm slot. However Sab business head Vikas Bhal declined to comment whether it would be a weekday or weekend show.

    While Sony is making some calculated moves to regain lost glory in prime time, the Zee camp is not sitting on its laurels but banking on some big launches. After launching its biggest project of the year Business Baazigar on 31 March, Zee TV will flag off another key property on 24 April. The soap Jab Love Hua will replace Rubba Ishq Na Hove and Sarrkkar in the 8:30 pm slot to run Monday through Friday. Then viewers can also expect some fireworks from the latest Sa Re Ga Ma Pa version Ek Mein Aur Ek Tu. It is learnt that the channel has ensured a high doze of reality-oriented excitement in the forthcoming episodes of the talent hunt show.

    Ek Mein Aur Ek Tu along with Zee TV‘s soap brigade have their task cut out: block any resurgence by Sony and make the viewers thank Zee TV as well – be it a Monday or a Friday.

    On Monday, 10 April, Sahara One will be launching a new fiction show – Suno… Harr Dill Kuchh Kehtaa Hai in the 10 pm slot. This show will run from Monday to Friday and will replace the re-runs of Virasaat on the channel. Once Buniyaad gets over in May, Sahara One will be launching another show – Sati to replace it.

    Reshuffle in Prime time rankings; Sony & Star One push Zee to fourth spot

    Interestingly, since the re-launch of Shukra Hai Shukravaar Hai on 10 March, Sony‘s prime time performance has seen a radical jump. Last month, the channel strengthened its Friday lineup, which included Deal Ya No Deal (8 pm), Fear Factor (9 pm), CID (10 pm) and Kandy Floss (11 pm). While Fear Factor has been the top rated show on Sony for three consecutive weeks; the new format CID has also been rating well consistently for the channel.

    In the week beginning 26 February, Sony‘s prime time (8 pm to 11 pm) channel share was 12.9 per cent in the C&S 4+ Hindi speaking market according to Tam. Whereas, in the week beginning 5 March (when the new Friday lineup was introduced), the channel‘s prime time share jumped to 20.3 per cent. In the corresponding week (12 March), the share further increased to 22.1 per cent. However, in the week beginning 19 March, the prime time channel share fell to 17.2 per cent.

    The latest prime time picture is as follows:

    Star Plus‘ share in the prime time fell from 56.9 per cent in the week beginning 26 February to 46.8 per cent in the week beginning 5 March and further to 43.4 per cent in the week beginning 12 March, according to Tam. In the week beginning 19 March, Star Plus‘ prime time channel share rose to 49.1 per cent.

    Star One meanwhile has overtaken Zee TV in prime time to claim the third position with 14.8 per cent channel share as opposed to Zee‘s 11.6 per cent in the week beginning 19 March. The shows which have triggered the good performance for Star One include Saarabhai Vs Saarabhai, Remix, The Great Indian Laughter Challenge 2, Kya Hoga Nimmo Ka and Mano Ya Na Mano.

    On the other hand, Sahara One, which has claimed to be the number three channel in the week ending 25 March, is still way behind Sony as far as prime time channel share is concerned. Sahara One‘s prime time channel share in the week beginning 19 March was 5.3 per cent. Star One has overtaken Zee TV in prime time to claim the third position with 14.8 per cent channel share as opposed to Zee‘s was 11.6 per cent in the week beginning 19 March.

    As the prime time action heats up across the networks, expect to see an ongoing jostling for leadership positions over the next two months. Behind Star Plus of course.

     

  • Sahara One plans to raise up to $50 million

    Sahara One plans to raise up to $50 million

    MUMBAI: Sahara One Media & Entertainment Ltd has plans to raise up to $50 million in one or more tranches. The board, which met on 5 April, has given the green signal to offer and allot in foreign markets equity shares or other instruments like foreign currency convertible bonds (FCCBs).

    Sahara had bid around $176.25 million for the telecast rights to 25 one-day matches played by India at neutral venues for the next five years ($ 7.05 million per match). This means Sahara would have had to cough out $14.1 million for the two Indo-Pak Friendship Series matches to be held in Abu Dhabi later this month. But since Zee Telefilms bagged the rights, Sahara’s fund requirement would be less than $50 million in the immediate run.

    “It is just an enabling resolution for us to raise up to $50 million. If cricket rights would have come to us, our requirement to raise money would have been more immediate. We may raise the money in tranches. We haven’t decided when and how much money we are going to raise. All this will depend on how the business rolls out for us,” said an official in the company.

    Sahara has informed the BSE that its board has approved the issue, offer and allot in course of International offering, in one or more trenches and in foreign markets equity shares / preference shares / convertible debentures / convertible notes / FCCBs / secured premium notes (SPNs) and / or any securities convertible into equity shares at the option of the company and / or holder of the securities and / or securities linked to equity shares through American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) and / or Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs) up to a maximum amount of $ 50 million.”

    The board has also approved the calling of Extra Ordinary General Meeting of the company on 8 May to get the consent of shareholders.

  • Cricket: BCCI debunks bidders’ objections

    Cricket: BCCI debunks bidders’ objections

    NEW DELHI/MUMBAI: Cricket and controversy in India are synonymous now.

    The latest round of allegation and counter-elucidations relates to overseas cricket telecast rights for Indo-Pakistan cricket matches to be played in neutral venues with one set of bidders alleging “irregularities” in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
    The charge that the Indian cricket board is allegedly biased towards Sahara One Media & Entertainment, which is presently telecasting the ongoing India-England home cricket series on Sahara One channel, however, has been dismissed by the BCCI as “making a mountain of a molehill.”

    If that’s not enough, media reports from Pakistan hint that while the BCCI is going ahead full steam with the proposed cricket matches — 25 in number over a period of few years — actually no formal agreement exist between it and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), which is as much owners of the cricket matches as the Indian cricket board.

    On the last day of submission of financial bids for Indo-Pak cricket on neutral venues, some companies like Zee Telefilms, ESPN Star Sports and Nimbus today have alleged that tender documents criteria “seem to have been totally ignored by Sahara in the bid submission process.”

    Not only one of the bidders has written a letter to the BCCI president and agriculture minister Sharad Pawar, after marking it to other officials like the marketing head chief Lalit Modi, but a sequence of happenings as it happened have been detailed.

    BCCI has fixed a reserve price of $ 5 million dollars a match and the total revenue generated could be in excess of $120 million.

    The basic thrust of the allegations listed in the letter, a copy of which is available with Indiantelevision.com, is not only the Sahara group submitted its bids after the deadline of 11 a.m. today, but also flouted a condition of bringing the bids in open envelopes.

    “…the Sahara financial bid was in unsealed condition and was actually taken out of the envelope for approximately 10 to 15 seconds,” the letter states, adding that all the other bidders present objected to it and lodged their formal protest on Sahara’s late arrival too.

    While Sahara One Media and Entertainment refused to make any comments when contacted by Indiantelevision.com, BCCI vice-president Modi dismissed the allegations by saying the other bidders were simply splitting hairs over a small issue.

    “There has been no irregularity,” Modi insisted, “If people feel that on a small technical issue, we would disqualify a newcomer (Sahara has never bagged telecast rights till the recent India-England series), then they have to think again.”

    According to Modi, the other companies were attempting to form a “cartel” in an effort to hammer down the prices.

    “It almost seems that some companies are ganging up against a newcomer’s entry. It also seems a cartel is being attempted so that the price (of the telecast rights) could be lowered,” Modi told Indiantelevision.com.

    Asked whether the BCCI has a formal deal with the PCB before going ahead with sale of telecast rights of Indo-Pak cricket, Modi criticized the Pakistani media for raising unimportant issues, which are of “no consequence.”

    “The very fact that we are going ahead with the bidding process shows that PCB and the BCCI have an understanding. Has the PCB said anything formally?” the businessman-turned-sports administrator countered

    Meanwhile, the protest letter concludes by stating, “We believe that the new BCCI administration has conducted the earlier tender processes with complete transparency and fairness. There have been instances in the past, where companies have been disqualified on technical grounds.

    “Keeping these facts in mind, we trust that in all fairness, the Sahara financial bid should not be considered. We are hopeful that the BCCI will take a fair decision on this occasion as well.”

    Whether the BCCI takes note of the protests lodged by the likes of Zee, ESS and Nimbus can only be gauged when the financial bids are opened on Thursday (6 April) and the successful candidate announced

  • Zee Sports can break even in 18 months time: channel head

    Zee Sports can break even in 18 months time: channel head

    NEW DELHI: Zee Sports, the youngest of the sports channel beaming into Indian cable homes, could breakeven within 12 to 18 months time, according to a senior channel executive.

    “These are early days, but the channel can possibly breakeven in 12 to 18 months time as its revenues increase. Especially now that cricket will be aired,” Zee Sports business head Himanshu Mody told Indiantelevision.com today.

    Part of the Subhash Chandra-promoted Zee Telefilms, Zee Sports believes it has struck gold after bagging the telecast rights of one-day cricket that India will play against Pakistan, Australia, England and West Indies over the next five years on neutral venues.

    Zee has invested approximately Rs 300 million in its sports channel started over a year back.

    Zee Telefilms bagged the telecast rights for approximately $ 219 million, beating the likes of ESPN Star Sports, Sahara One Media & Entertainment and Nimbus.

    According to Mody, a cricket property like this is definitely going to drive up the subscription revenues and could be leveraged in different ways on various platforms over the five year contract period till 2011.

    “In the months to come by, Zee Sports will be a power to reckon with,” Mody said with glee after this victory, having failed twice earlier to bag big ticket cricket properties, which included the domestic Indian rights for four years that was snared by Nimbus for $ 612 million.

    Asked whether the investments could be recovered as there’s an overdose of cricket all round on television, Mody said the present rights for 25 one-day matches were different from other rights and had its advantages.

    “What we have bagged is one-day cricket, which has more value (in terms of viewership) than five-day Test cricket. Moreover, India-Pakistan clashes mostly go down very well with viewers and advertisers alike,” Mody explained.

    Zee Sports is also keen to share the terrestrial telecast with the Indian pubcaster Doordarshan and doesn’t think such simulcast would hit its revenues — advertising or subscription.

    “We are keen to share cricket with DD and will offer the best deal possible,” Mody said.