News Headline
DD ups Commonwealth 2006 rights bid to $ 400,000
NEW DELHI: The race for the telecast rights for the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games has taken an interesting twist with Indian pubcaster Prasar Bharati increasing its offer, while newly-started Zee Sports also lunging for the rights, is offering a higher price.
For the organisers of the Melbourne 2006 Games, India is an important market in Asia because of its size and also the fact that New Delhi would play host to the 2010 Games.
Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Prasar Bharati CEO KS Sarma said, “We have increased our offer twice. The last price quoted is $ 400,000 ($A532,000) and that’s the maximum we can go.”
Initially, Prasar Bharati had offered $220,000 for the Games’ rights. Pointing out that Prasar Bharati, which manages Doordarshan and All India Radio, is yet to hear from the Commonwealth games management on the offer, Sarma was confident that the pubcaster would not be on the losing side.
“If somebody else gets the rights for India (hinting at Zee Sports’ bid), as per a legislation being proposed by the government, the national broadcaster would anyway get the terrestrial rights. So, we are not unduly worried,” Sarma said, taking an equally tough stance on the rights issue as the Games organisers.
According to a report in Australia’s The Age, though larger sums of money have been paid for other television deals – Channel Nine, reportedly, paid $50 million for the Australian rights – the Indian deal is one of the most important for Games organisers because of the huge audience it can deliver to Games sponsors.
Organisers have labelled the ongoing negotiations with the Indian pubcaster as “a face-off.” In December, broadcasters described the Melbourne 2006 asking price of $ 600,000 as “brazen” and “extortionate”.
Though the Zee Sports’ bid is said to be higher than that of Prasar Bharati, it stands a slim chance of bagging the rights as Melbourne 2006 chairman Ron Walker has been quoted by international media as saying he would sell the rights to a free-to-air network in India.
“I’m not going to pay TV; it will be a mixture of both, but it will be more free to air,” he was quoted as explaining. While Zee Sports has been positioned as a pay channel, DD and AIR are free-to-air. However, when contacted by Indiantelevision.com, Zee Sports refused to comment on the issue.
Meanwhile, Walker, according to news reports from Singapore, yesterday conceded the extensive broadcast deal with the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU), brokered over the weekend, was not as financially lucrative as he had hoped, but said the wide reach of the telecasts into non-Commonwealth countries more than made up for the “small” budget shortfall.
Footage from the Melbourne Commonwealth Games will be seen by more than 1.4 billion people free-to-air in 18 countries in the region, including Afghanistan, East Timor, Mauritius, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Laos and Vietnam, adding value to sponsorships and creating more trade and tourism opportunities.
It is understood that M-2006 will receive about $400,000 from the ABU for the rights. For the first time, Commonwealth Games footage would be shown in Indonesia, a country that didn’t take the Athens Olympics because of high costs.
Walker said the final television broadcast deals with India, host of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, and Canada were being negotiated, with India’s agreement expected within days.
NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.
The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.
Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.
The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.
Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.
Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.
Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.
Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.
The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.
Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.
