The International Cricket Council (ICC) has conceded to one of the primary demands put out by the competing Indian broadcasters; nevertheless, there is no assurance that this will result in a meaningful cease-fire between the two groups. The Indian broadcasters asked for the ICC to move the deadline for the submission of the financing proposal from August 22 to August 26, and the ICC responded to their request on Wednesday (August 17) by informing them that the deadline has been moved forward to August 26 from August 22.
However, the move has not quite placated the irate authorities working for Indian television, who believe that it is insufficient.
In Dubai, the date of the due date for the submission of the assessment documents is still the 22nd of August.
“I am unsure as to whether this is a step in the right way or not; nonetheless, there is still no promise of transparency, clarity, or direction for the bidding system, all of which are things that we have been requesting. They have notified us that it will take place on August 26 rather than on the 22nd of August.
What difference does it make to the situation? They continue to refuse to disclose the bid amounts of other parties as well as what they intend to do with our bids “an executive from the industry commented, corroborating what was written in the ICC correspondence.
Earlier, they had stated that it is weird that the ICC is asking the bidders to leave the bid with a third party for four days, which is an unimaginable option, and that this is a move that is incomprehensible.
The Indian broadcasters have the impression that the International Cricket Council is being difficult with them, most likely because the ICC has received commitments from a few parties outside of India to take part. “The ICC may not come under the jurisdiction of the Indian courts, but as for broadcasting of the ICC events in India, they can always be subject to the Indian law,” said another representative, implying that the entire procedure could end up in an Indian court. “The ICC may not come under the jurisdiction of the Indian courts,” said another representative.
In the meanwhile, none of the Indian television corporations — Zee, Star, Viacom, or Sony — have taken part in the fake auction, calling into question the utility of the activity given that it is unknown whether or not the actual bidding will get to that point at all. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has also angered the broadcast parties by not defending their position in this dispute.
Cricbuzz has attempted to get in touch with the ICC, but the organisation has not yet responded.
