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Daily Roundup (May-31-2007)
BCCI has found a buyer for the useless Afro-Asian Cup. ESPN-Star has agreed to telecast this series. To refresh the memory, Nimbus has pulled out of telecasting it because most big stars were missing. While ESPN-Star weren't willing to reveal financial details, it is understood the deal will be significantly lower than the original sum.
Nimbus Sports, which bought the rights for three editions of the tournament, first played in 2005 in South Africa, for $12 million, cited the absence of several big stars in the Asian XI as the reason for pulling the plug. Is it just me, or is anyone else getting this feeling that BCCI's total grip on cricket in India may be starting to loosen? I mean, first Zee cancels its contract, and then Nimbus pulls out. These things were unimaginable till now. I am wondering what can be the reason for this? Is it the management, or is it the quality of play our team is dishing out?
First thought says, it is the quality. All TV channels can bear the mismanagement of BCCI if they get to telecast good quality cricket. After all, they are all about making money. Second thought says that quality of cricket is ultimately affected by the way cricket is managed. The scheduling of tours, the selection procedures, handling of players and support staff, etc. It all contributes the quality of cricket that the team dishes out.
It's not like this management is doing anything different from the previous ones. The high-handed and nonsensical style of management is the same. Player X, Y, Z were affected by this management, while player A, B, C were affected by previous ones. Names change, style of functioning remain the same.
I guess, unfortunately for this management, the tipping point has come. The cup is now overflowing. Bad blood had been accruing between BCCI and entities it interacts with, for a long time. Fortunately for the previous administrations, India reached WC finals in 2003 and everything was kept under the carpet. Now, with us getting shunted out in the first round of WC2007, the daggers are coming out and the previously quite entities are making their presence felt. I feel these two pullouts may be just a preview of things to come.
The point is, is BCCI sensing the same thing? Will it learn and take corrective measures? Common sense says, it won't. And that's the troubling part.
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Here is another angle (probably the real one) of why Zee pulled out on the IND-SA ODIs in Ireland.It was Zee’s failure to make money off the Kuala Lumpur tri-series last year, and the BCCI’s insistence that it share feed with Doordarshan, that finally did it for the deal.
According to sources, Zee lost Rs 50 crore on the Australia-India-West Indies tri-series in Kuala Lumpur last year. “The deal was envisaged as an annual Sharjah-like event that would have a place in the international calendar,” a Zee source told HT.
Broadcasters the world over are upset with the I&B Ministry’s Sports Broadcasting Bill that makes it mandatory to share feed of all India games with Doordarshan, not just the games in India but also those abroad. Now, what part of it was not known already? ;) And still, BCCI does not take any steps to find a solution for a problem it is guaranteed to face in future... again.
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Since conspiracy theories are the current taste of the time, here is another angle (this time from unnamed top Zee official) of why Zee pulled out from IND-SA series.However, unofficially the reason is the lukewarm response of the BCCI to the new cricket league promoted by Zee group.
A top Zee official confirmed this to MiD DAY yesterday. “ICL is the main reason for the pull-out.
The ICL is driving the BCCI to its grave,” said the official. He he he he... Food for thought...
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