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'Broadcast rights awarded not purely on financial terms'

Kanchana Suggu

The long anticipation as to who will win the broadcast rights of the 2003 World Cup in South Africa, the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies and other major cricket events finally came to an end, with World Sport Group and News Corporation emerging triumphant in a two-horse race in Paris on Sunday evening.

The other key bidder was Zee Multimedia Worldwide, which joined forces with TWI three days back.

Newscorp was represented by COO Chase Carey and World Sport Group by chairman S.O'Brien.

Said Harish Thawani of Nimbus Communication Ltd, which is part of the consortium that won the bid: "Let me put the facts straight - the bid is won by World Sports Group in cognisance with Nimbus and supported by Newscorp."

WSG/News Corporation will pay US $550 million by way of guarantee over the seven-year contract.

And what are the other structures being employed?

"We are not in a position to reveal that. I can tell you that the financial security is being offered by Newscorp.

"But I cannot comment on the exact amount offered by them (Zee)," clarified Thawani.

He elaborated: "I think the selection was based on certain grounds such as the quality of brand marketing and also the management team. It was not purely on financial terms. We are not auctioning any property here. This is something that has to be built, for which you do require global strength. That's exactly what is being offered to us by WSG and Newscorp. Newscorp is giving us the necessary global platform. We have to admit that this would not have been possible without any of the two. No one can do something as major as this entirely on their own".

Next on the agenda for WSG/Newscorp is to implement its brand marketing strategy, about which, again, Thawani did not disclose any details whatsoever.

"The implementation will be discussed by the ICC management. Our basic focus is brand building. We want to make ICC as prestigious as the IOC and FIFA. It could take us weeks to come before we disclose the entire strategy. Afterall, we have been awarded the bid only last evening. We cannot comment on the operating grounds until it is presented to the ICC," he said.

Although Thawani did confirm that Internet rights are part of the package offered to his consortium, he refused to disclose details about its exclusivity, saying that he's at no liberty to disclose such specifics.

"Before taking any decision, we have to consider the interests of ICC, the South African board, West Indies board; various broadcasters; of Pepsi, L.G, and Honda and, above all, this there is an overriding interest of the consumers," he concluded.