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India: Antitrust regulator fines cricket board US$8m

By  |  November 29, 2017

India’s competition watchdog fined the country’s powerful cricket governing body, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), US$8 million over a multi-billion dollar broadcasting deal for the Indian Premier League (IPL).

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    The Competition Commission ruled that BCCI, the world’s wealthiest national cricket body, abused its position by agreeing to broadcasters’ demands that it would not allow a rival competition to the IPL, for at leaset 10 years.

    The commission ordered the BCCI to pay 520 million rupees (US$8 million) within 60 days.

    Sony Pictures Networks has held the rights since the IPL started in 2008.

    But in a major coup, Rupert Murdoch’s Star India channel in September bought the rights for 2018-22 US$2.55 billion — a 150% increase on the previous deal — confirming the league as one of the world’s hottest sports properties.

    The antitrust commission made an initial ruling in 2013 that the BCCI’s deal with Sony was illegal because of a clause which prevented the BCCI from allowing any other 20-over league to compete with the IPL.

    Full Content: Economic Times

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