Karthik's musings

Rein in the sport broadcasters!

Anybody watching the cricket World Cup on SetMax will agree on the unnecessary hurry consistently shown by the Sony folks in cutting out the game to show the ads. I agree that Sony has paid ICC a huge amount to grab the rights to telecast the World Cup, but that is no reason to take the fun out of viewing the game to the aficionados. After the last ball of an over is bowled, they do not wait for the commentator to even announce the score in their hurry to cramp in a few additional seconds of advertising. And if something interesting happened in the last ball of the over, then thatz left to the imagination of the viewer but some times they do take pity on the viewer and replay it in the beginning of the next over. But if they decide not to, please take it or leave it, dear viewer.

If there is one reason why I prefer ESPN-STAR Sports instead of SETMax, this is it. Even compared to Zee`Sports, Neo and TEN Sports, ESPN-STAR is the best. They actually telecast as if they understand the game and have a passion for it. The rest just come across as businessmen around to make some quick and easy money. And I'm sure a great cricket-passionate person like Harsha Bhogle has contributed in no small measure in this.

I guess itz time the Govt modifies the Sports Broadcasting Bill 2007 and regulates sport broadcasters to cut the game only after the ball has been logically concluded. They can probably give powers to TRAI to take to task the broadcaster in case of breach of this. The bottomline is that game has to be telecast in the right spirit, and if found in breach, the broadcaster needs to be fined.

And along with it if they decide to ban Mandira Bedi from talking about cricket unless she wears her "noodle-straps", my vote for Congress for the next 50 years is guaranteed.

A rising tide lifts all boats.

# posted by Karthik @ 10:51 PM