Blame it on the Indian team's current poor form or too much cricket. Even after reducing the base price, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has found no takers for internet and mobile rights for all international and domestic matches to be played between 2011 and 2014.
After failing to attract bidders in the first round, the apex body for cricket in the country had reduced the base price for a match to Rs 2 crore from Rs 3 crore.
According to BCCI officials, the board had floated a new tender and the last date for the bids was September 26. A BCCI official told Business Standard four parties had taken the tender documents for a non-refundable sum of Rs 2 lakh, but none had submitted the documents.
“BCCI planned to generate revenue worth at least Rs 240 crore by selling mobile and internet rights for all international games it would host and organise during the next 30 months,” said an official. Internet rights allow the streaming of matches and video on demand, with a five-minute delay in India. Live streaming is permitted outside India. This is the first time BCCI is selling mobile and internet rights for domestic and international matches as a stand-alone property.
The rights were included for 17 Tests, 29 one-day internationals and two T20s, to be played on Indian soil between October and March 2014. The rights were previously held by Nimbus Communications as part of the global media rights it won in 2006. Nimbus had paid $612 million for four years.
“Its too expensive to shell out Rs 2 crore per match. Even for a five-day Test match, the amount is too expensive. Seeing the broadband access and the quality of download on our mobiles, it would be difficult to monetise at such high costs,. There is interest, but the cost is too high,” said a sports broadcasting official.
Other experts attribute the lack of interest to the recent dismal performance of the Indian cricket team against England, and also to the lack of interest in the ongoing Champions' League tournament. The trend began with the India-West Indies series in June, which recorded dismal ratings.
