da mrbet： The Sri Lankan cricket board ended fears of a television black out duringthe West Indies tour of Sri Lanka when they announced on Saturday thattelevision, radio and selected sponsorship rights have been awarded to TajTelevision for the next
Charlie Austin03-Nov-2001The Sri Lankan cricket board ended fears of a television black out duringthe West Indies tour of Sri Lanka when they announced on Saturday thattelevision, radio and selected sponsorship rights have been awarded to TajTelevision for the next three-years.The BCCSL terminated an existing USD 27.1 million deal with WSG Nimbus 18days ago, complaining of a breakdown in the working relations and WSG Nimbus’s frequent failure to meet payment deadlines. The BCCSL, backed by theAttorney General and seemingly protected by a High Court injunction orderagainst WSG Nimbus interference, immediately initiated a fresh tenderprocess.Bids were opened on 29 October and according to a BCCSL media release: “Anevaluation was carried out by PriceWaterhouse Coopers, who then recommendedTaj Television, who are covering the ongoing Champions Trophy in Sharjah.”The recently formed Dubai based Taj Television, owned by Arab business tycoon Abdul Rahman Bukthatir, the founder of the CBFS Series cricket in Sharjah, beat offers from Trans World International (TWI), who had been tipped as favourites having just missed out to WSG Nimbus in the original tender process last December, and SET India, who held Sri Lankan cricket rights for 18-months from 1999-2000.Only a Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between the two partiesso far, but a full contract is to be signed shortly.The final amount paid the BCCSL was not disclosed, but board sourcesmaintain that “this is a better deal for Sri Lankan cricket” arguing thatthe deal is financially better, with the BCCSL not having to share production costs and retaining all revenue from team sponsorship deal struck with Dilmah Tea earlier this month, but also less restrictive than the WSG Nimbus contract.”Against all the odds, having been forced to take action, the BCCSL is veryhappy with the new deal,” said the spokesman. “We are confident ofestablishing a sound working relationship with Taj Television that will beto the benefit of both parties.””The previous agreement impinged too much on the rights of the board, theplayers and third parties. This agreement, however, is clearly defined andaffects four areas: television, radio, title sponsorship and a specifiednumber of ground runners.”The legal dispute between the BCCSL and WSG Nimbus is, however, by no meansfinished. WSG Nimbus have resigned themselves to not covering the WestIndies tour, having cancelled hotel reservations and proposed contracts withlocal employees, but still maintain that the “termination” was unlawful andare contesting the boards actions in court, both in Sri Lanka and Singapore