Ordinance for mandatory sharing of sports feed with DD approved

New Delhi, Feb 1 (UNI) With just two months to go before the cricket World Cup, the Union Cabinet today approved an ordinance that makes it obligatory for broadcasters to share live telecast signals of sports events without their advertisements with public service broadcasters like the Doordarshan and All India Radio.

Now millions of viewers and listeners across the country having the facility of only free to air channels can enjoy sports events of national and international importance.

Briefing reporters after a Cabinet meeting here, Minister for Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi said a Bill will be introduced in Parliament in the coming Budget Session to replace the ordinance titled as 'The Sports Broadcasting Signals (Mandatory Sharing with Prasar Bharti) Ordinance, 2007.

The measure was rushed through after the ongoing India-West Indies cricket series kicked off without the public broadcasters Doordarshan and All India Radio telecasting the event as the teleacst rights holder Nimbus refused to share its content with them.

However, it provided signals with seven minutes delay after courts intervention.

UNI