Sports - A cool 1.2 billion rupees to SLC coffers!!

Sri Lanka Cricket coffers will get a significant boost when it receives a staggering 1.2 billion SL rupees approximately (US $ 11 million) on account of the sale of Television Broadcasting rights for this month’s seven match Cricket Triangular featuring India and South Africa. The major part of this unprecedented amount has already been received by Sri Lanka Cricket.

The contract for Television Broadcasting rights was signed by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and Taj Television on the 17th of December 2004 for a four year period beginning from the 1st of January 2005 for a total value exceeding US $ 50 million. President of SLC during that period Mohan de Silva and Taj TV’s Chief Executive Zeyed Noorani were the signatories to the multi million dollar contract.

The total value of the television rights contract depends on the value of each tour/tournament which will eventually depend on the touring country. It is believed that the participation of India increases the value of the Television rights contract to unbelievable proportions. In fact The Sunday Times learns from informed sources that over 85% of the total value of the US$ 50 million deal is due to India playing in Sri Lanka in three separate triangular tournaments which includes this month’s triangular. The successful inclusion of two triangular tournaments featuring India (in 2005 and in 2006) by past SLC administrators helped Sri Lanka to nearly double the expected revenue from the sale of Television Broadcasting rights.

Speaking to The Sunday Times former President Mohan de Silva recalled how SLC was able to secure the mega deal. “I must be very honest that this was a very bad period that SLC was going through in terms of finances. Hence, we needed to market the TV rights very well to ensure that SLC gets the maximum benefit. It was a big challenge and I was extremely happy to have closed that deal for that mega sum of money”. Mohan also acknowledged the support given by former ICC President Eshan Mani and former Indian Cricket Board Chief Jagmohan Dalmiya in this regard. “Mani and Dalmiya were very helpful in helping SLC to obtain the best possible deal from the TV contract. In fact Dalmiya, upon my request gave me a special appointment, and I travelled to Calcutta and it was at this meeting that I managed to convince Dalmiya and the BCCSL to get India down for the Triangular tournament in August this year”.