Introduction to Sports broadcasting with an indian touch

1. Sports Broadcasting

2. What is Sports Broadcasting?
• Sports Broadcasting is a technical
term meaning telecast rights for
sporting events
• Today broadcasting also involves
rights for other communication media
including radio, internet, broadband
etc

3. Telecast Rights for Sporting Events
• Revenues obtained from selling telecast
rights for the Olympics account for 48% of
IOC’s Revenue
• Indian Cricket rights for 7 years 3851 crores
• Games like Formula-1 and the English
premier league have successfully tapped
the Indian market which was non existent a
decade ago
• IPL nearly $1.7 bn for 9 years.

4. Rights? Whom and What
• The Sporting association or the games organizing
committee holds the rights for any tournament.
E.g. BCCI holds cricket rights for all cricket played
in India except for WC and ICC events for which
ICC holds the rights
• Privately organized events rights stay with the
organizer
• Global rights are rights for sporting events which
are valid throughout the world.
• Specific territory rights are rights which enable the
broadcaster to transmit the event within a certain
specific area e.g. EPL on ESPN

5. Continued
• Satellite Rights: These rights are for
television broadcasters who would transmit
the images through a satellite channel
• Terrestrial rights: These rights are for
television broadcasters who would transmit
the images through a terrestrial channel
• Pay per View television: Here the viewer
pays the broadcaster only to view a specific
event; Currently not available in India
• Broadband: TV through the internet.
• 4G and more

6. Types of Television Channels
• Based on mode of Transmission
• Terrestrial Channels: Do not require a cable
connection to view the channel
• Satellite Channels: They are transmitted
through the satellite,
• On other fibre optic networks: Channels
which are on a fibre optic network would
require a cable connection.
• Based on Revenue model
• Free to Air Channels No subscription
revenue
• Pay Channels: Subscribers pay a monthly
fee to view the channel

7. Aspects of Sports Programming
• Private and Public good Sports incorporate
elements of both private and public goods,
A free channel is a public good but an
encrypted pay channel acts as a private
good
• Time sensitivity, One major reason for the
popularity of any sport is uncertainty of
outcome, thus sport television would need
to concentrate on live services.
• Cultural discount: The value of any sports
right would suffer a discount as it moves
from the host country to any other non
participating country.

8. Costs in Sports Programming
• Rights to sporting events, For major
events this forms the bulk of the cost
• Production costs, Costs to produce
an event e.g. cameras, commentators,
studio etc
• Transmission costs, Cost to transmit
the signal from the event to the
consumer

9. Revenues for Sports Channels
• Advertising revenue, Sports provides
a targeted audience with high
emotional appeal which provides
eyeballs to the advertiser
• Subscriber revenue For pay channels
getting subscription based revenue
• Other sources, Sub letting rights, CDs
and other forms of memorabilia,
royalty
• Pay per view

10. Legal Aspects in Broadcasting
• 1995 case of CAB vs GoI
• SC ruling that airwaves and frequencies are
public property thus any event of national
interest should be shown on public
television famous ten sports vs DD case
• Anti siphoning laws are present in other
countries where in India no specific law
exists.
• Another area is if companies which do not
have the necessary infrastructure to
produce an event should be allowed to bid
for the rights.