BCCI sells TV rights to Doordarshan

With only two days to go for the start of the first Test against Australia, at Bangalore, the Board of Control for Cricket in India seems to have wriggled out of the mess it had got itself into with regards to television rights. The BCCI has sold the television rights for the next two series to Doordarshan.

A Times of India report claimed that Doordarshan will telecast the series while TEN Sports may produce the feed and Sony may market it. The deal apparently cost Doordarshan Rs100crore and includes four Tests against Australia, a one-dayer against Pakistan and two Tests against South Africa.

This has not been confirmed by BCCI officials, but the report quotes SK Sarma, CEO of Prasar Bharati, the parent company of Doordarshan, as saying: "BCCI has agreed to give us exclusive telecast rights. We will show the matches on our television and sports channels."

If you thought this was finally the end of the saga, with two days for the start of the first Test, hold on a minute. Doordarshan will still go to court, but only to assert its position as the appropriate group to telecast the match in the current situation.