Nimbus to challenge Sports Broadcast Ordinance

Nimbus Communications will challenge the Sports Broadcast Signal Ordinance 2007, which makes it mandatory for private broadcasters to share live feed of matches of national and international importance with Prasar Bharati.

Nimbus paid $612 million last February for the rights to broadcast all international cricket played in India till 2010.

The matter was mentioned by Nimbus's counsel Gopal Jain before the Chief Justice M K Sharma's court.

"We are going to file the petition challenging the Ordinance," Jain said.

The Bench said: "you file it and mention the matter before the single judge Bench which is hearing the case."

The petition is seeking to squash the Ordinance on the ground that it cannot be applied on the matches played outside India, as it has no jurisdiction to control the signals of the matches played there.

The private sports broadcast channel also contended that the Ordinance violates its fundamental right under Article 19 (1) that is rights to speech and expression and its intellectual property right.