Sri Lanka Cricket launches worldwide rights tender

Sri Lanka Cricket, the sport’s governing body in the country, has launched a tender for the worldwide rights to the Sri Lanka national team’s matches.

The tender includes all television, internet and mobile broadcasts of the team’s home matches over seven years, from 2013-14 to 2019-20.

The governing body also launched a separate tender for broadcast production of the coverage, also covering seven years, from 2013-14 to 2019-20.

Bids for both tenders must be submitted by March 16.

Earlier this month, the country’s sports minister, Mahindananda Aluthgamage, turned down a request from the governing body to extend a worldwide rights deal with Asian pay-television broadcaster Ten Sports without carrying out a tender process.

The ministry of sports said that the governing body’s president, Upali Dharmadasa, had requested that Ten Sports, the incumbent rights-holder, be awarded a seven-year extension, from 2013-14 to 2019-20. Dharmadasa responded by saying that Ten Sports had an exclusive negotiating window for a renewal under the terms of the broadcaster’s existing four-year agreement, from 2009-10 to 2012-13.