SLC awards 2017 Indian tour rights to Ten Sports
Sri Lanka Cricket has signed up the 2017 Indian Tour with their TV provider Ten Sports. SLC Treasurer Nuski Mohammed explained, “That was done a few days ago. Under the existing agreement and the recommendation of the Attorney General on the subject we signed the agreement duly.”
However the treasurer also explained that according to the agreement there was a 5% increase in the amount per annum and as this agreement was signed after five years Sri Lanka received a 25% increase for this tour.
When asked about the TV agreement proper, which has been dragging on for a while, Mr. Mohammed said that the Technical Evaluation Committee, which was handling the matter, changed after the recent SLC elections and now the new Technical Evaluation Committee comprising Jayantha Dharmadasa, Nishantha Ranatunga, Mohan de Silva and Mr. Mohammad would sit next week and arrive at the final decision and then proceed with the signing of the contract.
However, the Sunday Times earlier reported that it all points to a Ten Sports – Sri Lanka Cricket TV deal that will take the country’s international screening rights until 2020.
Sri Lanka Cricket’s former Technical Evaluation Committee met and decided that Ten Sports was the only safe TV provider for their international rights.
Along with Ten Sports, Nimbus and Neo TV had applied for the rights when the bids were opened, but now it seems that it will be Ten Sports, who held the ‘first refusal right’, who will get the green light.
In 2001, SLC was forced to pay US$5 million in damages to Nimbus, after the board had breached its contract.
The Sri Lanka Cricket source confirmed that its Executive Committee considered an offer by the current rights holder for a sum of US$ 60 million, approximately Rs. 7.5 billion.
However the figure quoted by the Dubai-based TV giant is less than half of what it offered in 2009 for a four-year period.
In 2009 Ten Sports parted with US$ 65 million for the four-year period which ended on March 31, 2013.
Nevertheless, the deal will come into effect during the next home series where Sri Lanka will play South Africa in July-August this year in five ODIs and three T20s.
Although the then technical committee arrived at the decision they could not proceed with the signing of the contract as the SLC AGM came in between.
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