The rights to the telecast of cricket matches played in Sri Lanka are likely to be decided before 6 November. The Sri Lankan cricket board has shortlisted two bidders - TWI and a company backed by Nimbus Communications chief Harish Thawani. Meetings are being held this week in Colombo to decide who will finally pocket the rights.

According to Thawani, it won?t be a surprise if his bid proves successful. Sources indicate that he has proposed a joint venture with Sony Entertainment Television, in which Sony will hold a major stake. The new venture will be headed by a senior Sony Enterainment Television executive, and will make a concerted effort to pocket telecast rights for other sports events, apart from creating new ones.

Zee TV, which was one of the bidders that was eliminated, is not too perturbed by Thawani?s claims and its own elimination from the bidding. It believes its close relationship with TWI should work in its favour and the rights will come its way should TWI emerge victorious.
 

The group of ministers is once again meeting and discussing the opening up Ku-band DTH television even as this copy is being posted on indiantelevision.com on 2 November 2000. They had met earlier this week and decided that information and broadcasting (I&B) minister Sushma Swaraj should come up with a note which could be presented to the Union cabinet within a fortnight.

Apparently, Swaraj and her I&B team have already managed to get something in place, if one goes by a report on CNBC India. Its Delhi correspondent has reported that a note is doing the rounds, which says that the government is considering allowing as many DTH aspirants as are interested. The I&B ministry has done away with its earlier thinking that DTH should be centralised with state owned broadcaster DD owning the platform - alone or in partnership with a private company (either Indian or foreign).

Things will become clearer as the day progresses and Swaraj makes her announcement. Stay tuned in.
 

The Union Cabinet has cleared all the hurdles in the way of Ku-band direct to home television. The GoM had met earlier this week and this morning before finalising the modalities of opening up DTH. The Cabinet took this decision at a meeting which has just concluded at Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee‘s residence.
The lifting of the December 1996 ban has been a difficult political decision to make for several governments. I&B minister Sushma Swaraj with support from former I&B minister and current law minister, Arun Jaitley, however have managed to push it through.

Details of the clearance are awaited, but CNBC India has reported that the government has decided to open up DTH to as many players as possible.