NEW DELHI: In what would be a serious blow to sports rights holders if the Centre has its way, the Union information and broadcasting ministry has proposed to amend the Sports Broadcasting Signals (mandatory sharing with Prasar Bharati) Act, 2007, so as to allow pubcaster Doordarshan to not only air the feed it gets from private sports broadcasters on its terrestrial network and its direct-to-home-service DD Free Dish, but also on cable networks.
The I&B ministry’s proposed amendment is clearly aimed at by-passing the Supreme Court order of 2017 which had put a stay on sharing with cable operators the broadcast feed of sporting events the Centre had deemed as being of national importance.
As per the provisions of the Sports Act, the live feed received by Prasar Bharati from the content rights owners or holders is only for the purpose of re-transmission of the said signals on Doordarshan’s own terrestrial and DTH network and NOT for cable operators or other networks.
The ministry has proposed to amend section 3(1) of the Sports Act to ensure mandatory sharing of the signals of such sporting events with “other networks, where it is mandatory to show the Doordarshan channels as per the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995”, according to a ministry notice. The notice seeks feedback from people and the stakeholders on the draft bill that carries the amendments to the Sports Act.
Sports broadcasters and sports rights holders will no doubt be raising strong objections to the latest moves by ministry carried out in the name of public service but which clearly has profit motive as its primary aim.
The move comes after the I&B ministry received the opinion of the law and justice ministry regarding the issue.
