PVR to show Cricket World Cup matches, others may follow

MUMBAI: The hard talk over, PVR has stitched a deal with cricket World Cup rights holder ESPN Star Sports (ESS) to show the matches in its select multiplexes.

Starved of big ticket movie releases during the world Cup, other plex chain operators could be chasing similar deals with ESS.

ESS has inked a pure revenue share deal with PVR but could be asking for some 'minimum guarantee fee' from the smaller multiplex operators.

"We will be showing all the India matches. We have a 50:50 revenue share with ESS. Not finding good films in the World Cup period, we thought of screening the matches as part of 'alternate programming'. We will show these matches in 8 to 9 screens in the cities across the country," PVR Cinemas CEO Pramod Arora tells Indiantelevision.com.

PVR will kick-off its World Cup screenings with the India-England match on 27 February.

"We are working on the ticket pricing. This being a cricket-heavy year, we had to think of some positive strategy to get in footfalls," says Arora.

Several multiplex operators are continuing their talks with ESS. Says Cinemax India CEO Sunil Punjabi, "We will go ahead only if they do a pure revenue share deal with us. It doesn't make commercial sense to pay a minimum fee. The World Cup will stretch for over seven hours and in no way will there be a packed hall. In case we fail to strike a deal, we will continue with our alternate programming plan which we had experimented during the IPL (Indian Premier League) matches. We will show Marathi cinema."

Multiplex owners are sure to feel the heat of the cricket season this year as IPL follows the World Cup frenzy.

"Multiplexes will have to review their strategies following the PVR deal. Surely, the last ball has not yet been bowled. The cat-and-mouse game will continue between ESS and the plexes," says a media analyst.

However, some multiplex owners believe that a better strategy will be to offer alternate programming rather than agree to a minimum fee and revenue share model with ESS. "We showed the IPL matches last year but that didn't work. So we are not sure if it is a good idea to pay and show the World Cup matches," the chief executive of a Mumbai-based multiplex said on condition of anonymity.

DISH Network to Offer the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 in High Definition

ENGLEWOOD, Colo., Feb. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- DISH Network L.L.C., the leader in international programming in the United States, today announced that it is delivering an all-access pass to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, ensuring that cricket fans across the country won't miss a second of the action. Plus for the first time, DISH Network will offer coverage of the tournament in high definition.

The ICC Cricket World Cup, held every four years, will be co-hosted in the sub-continent by Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka, and features a 14-nation pool competing for the title. The event opens with Bangladesh playing India on Feb. 19 and will conclude with the championship match in Mumbai on April 2.

DISH Network will offer the tournament in HD on Pay-Per-View for its satellite customers as well as distribute the Cricket World Cup in SD through its recently launched IPTV service, DISH World, which allows customers to access DISH Network programming without the need for a satellite dish. Matches are available on a live and delay basis, plus, customers have access to highlights of the day's matches, broadcast immediately following the full replay of the match. Customers may also record the matches with DISH Network's award-winning DVR technology. 

In addition, DISH Network customers with a broadband-connected, Sling®-enabled receiver have the ability to watch every match on compatible 3G and WiFi-enabled phones, laptops or tablets, including the iPhone® and iPod touch®, iPad™, Android™ smartphones and tablets, Windows® and Mac® Computers, and select BlackBerry® devices.

"DISH Network leads the industry with 72 South Asian channels, and we are proud to again bring the Cricket World Cup to our viewers – this year in high definition – and that our broadband-connected, Sling-enabled customers have the ability to watch it live on a variety of mobile devices," said Chris Kuelling, vice president of International Programming for DISH Network. "In addition, customers without a satellite dish can enjoy the Cricket World Cup through our DISH World IPTV service."

Now until Feb. 19, customers can order the ICC Cricket World Cup for an early bird price of $129. After Feb. 19, the event will be available for $149. To order, visit www.dishnetwork.com/cricket, call 877-DISH-PPV (347-4778), or for IPTV service visit www.dishworldiptv.com or call 877-474-4788. Commercial customers can order by calling 1-800-454-0843. DISH Network has licensed its Cricket World Cup rights from Willow TV.