In the latest twist in a long-running saga over encryption issues for domestic coverage of India’s home cricket internationals, the BCCI was forced to call an emergency meeting after Nimbus got tough and issued notice they would call time on the agreement unless a resolve was met.
The row centres over a decision by the Indian government to make it mandatory for all ‘sport feeds of national importance’ to be shared with Indian public broadcaster Prasar Bharti.
Nimbus has called on Prasar Bharti to encrypt the signal of its Doordarshan terrestrial broadcast to prevent other channels in the region picking it up and losing Nimbus revenues in rights sales.
Reports from India last night suggested Nimbus is now calling for compensation for what it terms ‘the dilution of the value of its property’.
Nimbus are believed to be prepared to share the live feeds with Prasar Bharati but are insistent on the signal being encrypted.
Mumbai-based Nimbus won the BCCI rights in February 2006, beating off stiff competition from TWI.
