SET Max, the official channel for the Indian Premiere League (IPL), is demanding Rs 10 crore for a high-definition feed for the tournament fourth season, two direct to home television service providers said.Senior officials from the two companies, who did not wish to be named, said the broadcaster's demand was too high and it would have to slash its rate. Sun Direct is the only DTH operator that has a deal with SET Max for HD feed as it signed a contract last year.
Till Monday evening, none of the other providers of DTH service, an alternative to cable TV, had signed a deal with SET Max for the high-definition feed. High-definition feeds offer better sound and picture excellence when compared to usual feeds. Broadcast in HD is also free of advertisements. As per industry estimates, there are 2-2.5 lakh subscribers of HD feed in the country, of which 1 lakh were added during the just finished World Cup.
IPL's fourth season, which starts on April 8, will have 74 matches played between 10 teams. The Information & Broadcasting ministry has given approval to sports channels to show certain sporting events in HD on the situation that they are free of advertisements."We are in talks with the broadcaster. But we will sign up for HD feed only if the cost is reasonable. It is not economically viable for the industry to absorb such a huge cost for every sporting occasion," said Salil Kapoor, COO of India's largest DTH Company, Dish TV.
He however refused to give details of the talks. ESPN Star Sports (ESS) is said to have demanded Rs 10,000 per subscriber from DTH service providers for the HD feed, but had to scale it down to Rs 100-150. DTH players ended up paying 3-5 crore for the World Cup feed. Reliance digital TV is in talks with the broadcaster, its CEO Sanjay Behl said.MSM India, which owns SET MAX, has the official broadcast rights for IPL. Rohit Gupta, president network sales at MSM India said, "We will offer HD feed for IPL. Our sharing team is in talks with DTH companies. The numbers are small but growing."
Till Monday evening, none of the other providers of DTH service, an alternative to cable TV, had signed a deal with SET Max for the high-definition feed. High-definition feeds offer better sound and picture excellence when compared to usual feeds. Broadcast in HD is also free of advertisements. As per industry estimates, there are 2-2.5 lakh subscribers of HD feed in the country, of which 1 lakh were added during the just finished World Cup.
IPL's fourth season, which starts on April 8, will have 74 matches played between 10 teams. The Information & Broadcasting ministry has given approval to sports channels to show certain sporting events in HD on the situation that they are free of advertisements."We are in talks with the broadcaster. But we will sign up for HD feed only if the cost is reasonable. It is not economically viable for the industry to absorb such a huge cost for every sporting occasion," said Salil Kapoor, COO of India's largest DTH Company, Dish TV.
He however refused to give details of the talks. ESPN Star Sports (ESS) is said to have demanded Rs 10,000 per subscriber from DTH service providers for the HD feed, but had to scale it down to Rs 100-150. DTH players ended up paying 3-5 crore for the World Cup feed. Reliance digital TV is in talks with the broadcaster, its CEO Sanjay Behl said.MSM India, which owns SET MAX, has the official broadcast rights for IPL. Rohit Gupta, president network sales at MSM India said, "We will offer HD feed for IPL. Our sharing team is in talks with DTH companies. The numbers are small but growing."
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