New Channel for World Cup Matches not Feasible, Prasar Bharti tells SC

New Delhi, Feb 19 (IANS) National broadcaster Prasar Bharti Thursday told the Supreme Court that it was not "feasible" for it to set up a separate channel to telecast the live feed of India centric world cup cricket matches being provided to it by Star TV.

It expressed its stand to the bench of Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Prafulla C. Pant as the court reserved its order on the plea by the central government and Prasar Bharti challenging the Feb 4 Delhi High Court order barring Doordarshan from sharing the live feed of the Cup matches with cable operators.

The high court order came 10 days before the World Cup cricket matches being jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand began Feb 14.

Appearing for Prasar Bharti, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi told the court that the national broadcaster was reaching the people across the length and breadth of the county through 1,400 transmitters which were mostly unmanned, thus it was not feasible to set up a new channel to telecast world cup cricket matches in a short duration.

His contention came in response to a suggestion given by Star TV in the course of the last hearing of the matter.

Rejecting the idea of a new separate channel, Rohatgi told the court: "Why should the people suffer. Everybody should get the opportunity to watch the matches."

Offering technical assistance for set-up type new channel, senior counsel P.Chidambram told that in a similar situation during the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, Prasar Bharti had set up a new channel in six days time and wondered why it could not do it again.

Pointing out Doordarshan routing its live feed of world cup matches would cost Star TV a loss of Rs. 290 crores, Chidambram told that that this was a dis-incentive for an investor who looks for returns on his investments. He said that private cable operators were being benefitted for no reasons at their expense.

Rohatgi in the course of the last hearing had said that it was "a case of absolute stay and there can be no tinkering" with the statutory provisions by the high court.

He had told the court that by virtue of two statutes - the Sports Broadcasting Signals (Mandatory Sharing with Prasar Bharati) Act, 2007 and the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 - it was mandatory for Prasar Bharti to get the live feed of the India-centric matches and that of the semi-final and final of the world cup.