Windfall for BCCI's member units

By G. Viswanath

MUMBAI, OCT. 2. The member units of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) got a windfall at the BCCI's AGM in Chennai last week after two days of informal meetings and a six- hour meeting at the AGM itself.

The AGM approved a phenomenal increase (from the 1999- 2000 season) in the pay out of money earned from television rights to the associations staging Test matches, one-day Internationals, first class matches against visiting teams and associations not staging even a match against a touring team.

The BCCI earmarked more than Rs. 32 crores (70 per cent of Rs. 46 crores received from Prasar Bharati) to be given as members' share from television rights. The break up of which is: Rs. 1.52 crores to an association staging a Test match, Rs. 1.34 crores for a one-day International, Rs. 1.06 crores for a first class game against a visiting team and Rs. 92 lakhs each to the other associations.

It was decided at the AGM to remit 50 per cent to the associations' bank accounts immediately after they submit their audited statement of accounts and balance sheet for the year (1999-2000) to the BCCI. The balance will be paid after the member units fulfill certain norms as specified by the Finance Committee.

``The Board has to be satisfied that the money is used wholly for the development of cricket,'' said a BCCI official.

Six years ago the BCCI paid Rs. 15 lakhs to an association that staged a Test match, Rs. 10 lakhs to an association that staged a one-day International and Rs. 5 lakhs to the other associations. The BCCI paid a total of Rs. 2.23 crores from an amount of Rs. 6.46 crores earned from sale of television rights.

In the fifth and final year of the contract with ESPN, the BCCI revised the amounts to Rs. 25 lakhs each for Test matches, Rs. 22.50 lakhs each for one-day Internationals, Rs. 17.50 lakhs for first class games against visiting teams and Rs. 15 lakhs to other centres.

The contract with Prasar Bharati has changed the very economics of cricket vis-a-vis the funding of cricket activities of the member units. Having decided in principle to disburse 70 per cent of the income earned from television rights, an increase in remittance to the respective associations was on the cards, but it still had to be approved at the AGM in Chennai.

The first to benefit out of the BCCI's decision will be the Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat, Mumbai and Karnataka Cricket associations. They staged Test matches against New Zealand and South Africa. Punjab hosted the first Test against New Zealand, but the BCCI passed a resolution in Chennai to hold in abeyance the payment to the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) until it responded to the show cause notice served on it at the BCCI's Working Committee meeting in Bangalore in August.

The cricket associations of Saurashtra, Hyderabad, Madhya Pradesh, Assam and Delhi, Kerala, Bihar, Haryana, Baroda and Vidarbha will receive Rs. 1.32 crores for staging the one-day Internationals against New Zealand and South Africa. The associations that staged the three-day matches will receive Rs. 1.06 crores and the others Rs. 92 lakhs each.

When the BCCI signed a five-year contract with Prasar Bharati for worldwide television rights before the start of the 1999-2000 season it was acclaimed as a master stroke by the marketing sultans of Indian cricket. The agreement entailed a payment of over Rs. 230 crores over a period of five years. Prasar Bharati's bid was more than double the amount a private television channel had offered. The BCCI received Rs. 46 crores in return for 27 days of international cricket in India.

It was six years ago (1994-95) that the BCCI had, for the first time, signed a five-year contract with ESPN for telecast of Test matches and one-day Internationals and a few domestic first class matches of the BCCI. The BCCI received close to Rs. 35 crores from sale of television rights from 94-95 to 98- 99, touching a high of Rs. 9.9 crores in 1996, when India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka jointly hosted the World Cup. The BCCI disbursed close to Rs. 20 crores to the member units during this period.

The BCCI's present way of distributing money earned from television rights is another step towards helping its member units to develop cricket in the form of improving infrastructure in the existing and new stadiums, creating indoor facilities, installation of floodlights and purchase of equipments.

Another area which a majority of the associations are appallingly indifferent to are in creating a proper and modern media centre, which is not the case with the Boards of Australia, South Africa and even Pakistan. Hopefully the associations, which will stage matches again Zimbabwe and Australia will have a surprise in store for the reporters and photographers.

By 2003-2004 the member units, barring the Services Sports Control Board, Railways Sports Control Board, All India Universities, Cricket Club of India and National Sports Club (Calcutta), would receive in excess of Rs. 5 crores from the BCCI as their share of money from sale of television rights. What the BCCI has to do is put in place a monitoring system to make sure that the associations spend money on the development of the game. ``We have to keep a watch on the checks and balances,''said a BCCI official.

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