Cricket board to keep telecast rights price at around Rs34 crore

Despite the Indian cricket team's miserable performances in series abroad over the past year and waning interest in the game due to an overdose of matches, the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to hike prices for TV broadcasts of games featuring Indian players.

At a meeting in Mumbai today, the BCCI's marketing committee decided to keep the base price at 'Rs31.25 crore plus one crore' (Rs32.25 crore) per international game for A-category matches and 'Rs33 crore plus one crore' (Rs34 crore) per game for B-category games.

The base price will be declared in the tender for which advertisements are to be given on 10 March.

Committee chairman Farooq Abdullah did not elaborate what these categories spelled and why the Rs1 crore was separated. However, a report citing a person present at the meeting says the 'A' category is for two years to complete the current broadcast cycle, while the 'B' category is for the new period from 2015-2018.

"Everything was discussed. How the shape of the next tender should be. The contract with Nimbus has ended. The difficulties and deficiencies in the previous tender were looked into and rectified, and care has been taken those are not repeated in the new tender. It will be a global tender for six years," said Abdullah.

"The new tender will give a chance for new people to come in. They can bid either for the whole thing (broadcast rights plus internet and other rights) or in parts. It will enable people [advertisers] to come in larger numbers. We expect to generate more interest," he added.