News channels to boycott IPL-3

By Rahul Bajaj
for Cricketain.com

Published: February 17, 2010

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New Delhi: All major news channels in the country decided on Tuesday to boycott the third edition of the Indian Premier League in protest against the “arbitrary” guidelines and certain specific contentious clauses regarding footage of the cash-rich T20 event.

The News Broadcasters Association, which has 34 channels as its members, said in a statement that the IPL authorities and the official broadcaster of the event, in their meeting, “arbitrarily” refused to abide by the 2008 norms which were endorsed by NBA.

“In view of this position unilaterally taken by IPL/SET MAX, members of the NBA are unable to offer to their viewers any coverage in relation to IPL or its proposed matches,” the NBA said. “Inconvenience caused to our viewers by this unreasonable commercial approach of IPL/SET MAX is regretted.”

The media coverage guidelines for the 2010 season of IPL have reduced the duration of match footage that news channels can carry to — 30 seconds per bulletin and seven minutes a day. Repeats will be allowed three times a day, as against four previously, and while earlier, news channels were allowed to telecast match footage with a five-minute delay from the end of the live telecast, now it has been expanded to a half-hour delay.

This is not the first time that the IPL hasn’t reached an amicable agreement with the television channels. Major global news agencies boycotted the inaugural edition of the IPL in 2008 since the terms and conditions prohibited them from supplying photographs to cricket-specific websites.

The second season witnessed a repeat after News Media Coalition, the umbrella body that includes global news and photograph agencies Reuters, AP, AFP and Getty Images, objected over the same clause. However, the boycott was lifted after the IPL removed the clause from the terms of coverage.

The third edition of the tournament would be held at various venues across India from March 12 to April 25.

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