Lahore High Court bars Pakistan Television from finalising deal with Ten Sports

Lahore High Court bars Pakistan Television from finalising deal with Ten Sports

Lahore High Court has stopped the Pakistan Television Corporation (PTC) from finalising a deal with Ten Sports for sub-licensing rights to telecast International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricket events from 2012 to 2015.

Justice Umar Ata Bandial issued the order on a petition filed by Independent Media Group SMC (Pvt) Ltd seeking telecast rights for its channel Geo Super.

The Justice ordered the petitioner to deposit the required amount in the bank, submit suitable guarantee to the court and then approach the PTC for rights. The court adjourned further proceedings till December 02.

The petitioner submitted that the ICC had granted the rights to telecast cricket events to ESPN which had then granted such rights on a four years basis to different entities.

This year after the expiry of petitioner’s earlier four year license, ESPN invited bids for the auction of rights to broadcast ICC cricket events for the next four years in Pakistan including the rights to broadcast next ICC World Cup 2015, the petitioner
said.

The Pakistan Television Corporation made its bid for $30 million. It entered into an arrangement with Ten Sports, an Indian TV channel to sub-license such rights to its joint venture partner.

The petitioner said that on October 27, 2011 they wrote a letter to Pakistan Television Corporation and offered to form a joint venture with PTV for ICC events on the same terms and conditions which were being offered by ten Sports but PTV refused.

The petitioner submitted that if the PTC observed the relevant rules in selling the rights then the petitioner has all the qualifications to acquire such rights.

He said depriving them of these rights would be a violation of their fundamental rights.

He prayed the court to restrain the PTC from sub-licensing the ICC 2012-15 rights to Ten Sports.

Short URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=4755

Posted by Ammar Ahmad on Nov 25 2011. Filed under Latest News, Pakistan. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry