The Board of Control for Cricket in India cancelled its broadcast rights partnership with Nimbus Communications after accusing the agency of failing to pay rights fees on time.
In October 2009 Nimbus signed a four-year deal worth Rs20bn (€285m/$376m), from 2010 to 2014, for the worldwide rights for Test, one-day international and Twenty20 matches, and some domestic tournaments, played in India. Nimbus exploited the rights on its multi-national pay-television channel Neo Cricket, and also has sublicensing agreements in place with overseas broadcasters.
According to Indian Express, the BCCI’s working committee voted unanimously to curtail the agreement at its meeting on Monday, with Nimbus reportedly owing Rs880m in outstanding fees. Nimbus reportedly made a payment of Rs240m to the BCCI hours before Monday’s meeting. The Press Trust of India quoted a member of the BCCI working committee as describing Nimbus, which had been the governing body’s broadcast partner since 2005, as “a regular defaulter.”
The Indiantelevision website said the BCCI was also unhappy that Nimbus promoted the World Series Hockey tournament during live cricket broadcasts. The new series, which is scheduled to begin in February, mirrors the BCCI-sanctioned Indian Premier League Twenty20 competition’s franchise model and is co-owned by Nimbus’s broadcast subsidiary, Nimbus Sport.
The Times of India quoted an unnamed BCCI working committee member as saying there was “no hurry” to find a new broadcast partner.