SC allows arbitration between WSG, MSM on IPL broadcast rights

The Supreme Court today allowed World Sport Group to go ahead with the arbitration proceeding against MSM Satellite, earlier known as Sony Entertainment Television, pertaining to the facilitation fee dispute for acquiring broadcast rights for the Indian Premier League.
A bench of justices A K Patnaik and Fakkir Mohamed Ibrahim Kalifulla set aside the Bombay High Court order restraining World Sport Group (Mauritius) from proceeding with the arbitration.
While WSG wanted the dispute to be resolved through arbitration in Singapore, as agreed in the contract between the parties, MSM insisted that it should be decided in a regular trial before the court. The companies have fallen out over a facilitation fee deal for the media rights for the IPL.

The court passed the order on a appeal filed by WSG against the division bench verdict of the high court which had set aside the order passed by a single judge bench allowing the arbitration.
"We allow the appeal, set aside the impugned judgment of the division bench of the high court and restore the order of the learned single judge," the bench said.
"It has been rightly held by the learned single judge of the Bombay High Court that it is for the arbitrator to decide this dispute in accordance with the arbitration agreement," it said.
According to a deal inked in 2009, MSM Satellite was to pay Rs 425 crore to WSG to acquire the global rights to broadcast the IPL 20-20 cricket tournament.

However, the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) later wrote to MSM Satellite on May 30, 2010, stating that WSG had no role to play in execution of the contract and hence, the "facilitation fee" of Rs 425 crore was to be paid to the BCCI.