BBC likely to reach deal over TMS broadcasting in India - The Guardian

The BBC is expected to conclude a deal this week that will avert the threat of Test Match Special being silenced, or at least grounded, for England's forthcoming series in India.

The Corporation has been standing alongside Sky in a dispute with the Indian cricket authorities who are demanding extra money to cover the costs of broadcasting facilities on top of the rights agreements that have already been negotiated with Star TV.

But unlike Sky, which has already made arrangements for its commentary team to cover the four Tests from their London studio, the BBC has been backed into a corner. It has stressed the importance of its commentators being able to convey the atmosphere from the ground, to emphasise the difference between its TMS offering and the coverage provided by sites such as TestMatchSofa.com, where the commentary is provided from television pictures along the same lines of Sky's Soccer Saturday programme.

That would seem to leave it in a weak bargaining position with the Board for Control of Cricket in India, and must raise questions about the value of an agreement for radio rights which does not guarantee commentators entry to the grounds.

The BCCI is reported to be demanding around £50,000 from the BBC to cover radio production costs at the four Tests in Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Nagpur and Kolkata – whereas Sky has been asked for 10 times that figure to install a studio with the necessary facilities for presenting matches from each of the grounds.

The England and Wales Cricket Board has been involved in the background but are anxious to maintain a low-key stance, partly because in this instance the BCCI seems to be receiving unfair criticism.

It is not signed any rights deals or contracts with Sky or the BBC, having sold global media rights to Indian cricket to Star TV, and are now acting as a production house. In the past, the TV channel that has owned the rights has also tended to control production, so such disputes have rarely arisen.

The BBC has not commented on the details of its agreement with Star, and will only say that negotiations with the BCCI are continuing. That is also the official position with Sky, although with little more than a fortnight until the start of the series it seems increasingly likely that its commentators will be staying at home – which could cause an additional problem for The Times newspaper, whose cricket correspondent Mike Atherton is also a member of the Sky team.