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DD bags Commonwealth Games rights
NEW DELHI: The telecast rights of the Commonwealth Games 2006 have been bagged by pubcaster Prasar Bharati, beating competition from a pay TV operator that had quoted a higher fee for the rights of the India region.
The deal, signed after some tough negotiations between the organizers of the Games and Prasar Bharati (that manages Doordarshan and All India Radio), envisages the Indian pubcaster paying a rights fee of $ 400,000.
The agreement also provides for a 70:30 revenue share in favour of Prasar Bharati for ad revenues generated over the rights fee, the pubcaster said in a statement today.
Both the Games organizers and Prasar Bharati termed the agreement a win-win one for all parties concerned. The pubcaster claimed a high level team, led by its chief executive KS Sarma, concluded the deal with M2006, the entity that holds the world-wide rights for the Game.
Besides Prasar Bharati, another private sector pay TV operator had also bid for the rights quoting a price of over $ 700,000.
What tilted the balance in favour of Prasar Bharati was a set of media norms announced by the Indian government recently that stipulates all sporting events of national importance will have to be shared with the pubcaster on a mandatory basis even if private broadcasters hold the rights.
And, Commonwealth Games, which is to be held next in Delhi in 2010 afterMelbourne, certainly fell in the category of events of national importance for India.
However, Prasar Bharati claimed that the Games organizers preferred it over a pay TV operator as they wanted the events to reach out to the largest number of TV audiences in India. As the terrestrial broadcaster, DD lays claims to be reaching almost 90 per cent of the nearly 100 million TV homes in a country with over one billion population.
The event, which will be held in Melbourne from 15-26 March, 2006, will be broadcast live over Doordarshan’s terrestrial network — DD National — and its satellite channel, DD Sports. All India Radio will broadcast running commentary of important matches and events.
The 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games will feature 16 events, including athletics, swimming, gymnastics, shooting, weightlifting, hockey, badminton, table tennis, basketball, boxing and cycling, among others. More than 4,500 sporting personalities from 72 countries will take part in the 12-day event.
The 18th Commonwealth Games are touted as the biggest sporting event to be held in Melbourne, even bigger than the Olympics, which the Victorian city hosted in 1956.
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WITT Summit 2026 concludes in New Delhi
Babar Azam’s comical diving attempt goes viral as league introduces anti-dew measures.
MUMBAI: The WITT Summit just wrapped up with enough big ideas to fill a policy playbook because when India’s leaders, thinkers and icons gather under one roof, even the conversations hit sixes. The eighth edition of TV9 Network’s flagship What India Thinks Today (WITT) Summit 2026 concluded on Saturday after two days of dynamic discussions at its New Delhi venue. India’s largest multi-domain public policy and culture summit brought together political leaders, policymakers, sports icons, artists and technology innovators to examine the forces shaping contemporary India and its global standing.
Prime minister Narendra Modi delivered the keynote address on the theme “India and the World” for the third consecutive year. In a wide-ranging speech, he addressed the ongoing conflict in West Asia, calling for restraint and compassion while highlighting India’s continued development trajectory despite global turmoil.
The summit featured candid conversations with state leaders. Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy articulated a people-first governance model and contrasted it with other development approaches. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav declared that Left-wing extremism had been effectively eliminated in his state and highlighted preparations for the upcoming Kumbh Mela. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann defended his government’s record, citing the closure of 19 toll plazas and creation of the Sadak Suraksha Force. Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar expressed confidence in Congress prospects in Assam and addressed recent allegations against him.
On geopolitics and national security, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia outlined India’s ambition to become a builder of trusted digital infrastructure for the world, citing the rapid 5G rollout and village-level 4G connectivity.
Cricket received significant attention. Former India captain Sourav Ganguly praised player freedom and trust as hallmarks of great leadership and named MS Dhoni as the greatest captain due to his World Cup successes. India women’s team bowling coach Aavishkar Salvi credited the BCCI and Women’s Premier League for building a pipeline of world-class talent behind the team’s recent ODI World Cup triumph.
The summit also hosted the inaugural AI² Awards 2026, celebrating the convergence of human creativity and machine intelligence in storytelling and content creation. Poet and kathavachak Kumar Vishwas delivered a nuanced take on India’s concept of Dharma and criticised the recent arrest of an 80-year-old Shankaracharya. Veteran lyricist Sameer Anjaan and storyteller Neelesh Misra reflected on changing music trends and artistic responsibility in the wake of a recent controversy involving Nora Fatehi.
In a country where conversations often run as deep as the Ganges, the WITT Summit proved once again that when leaders, thinkers and storytellers come together, the real winner is public discourse lively, layered and refreshingly unafraid to tackle the big questions shaping India’s tomorrow.
