Australian viewers will not see IPL

MUMBAI: Television viewers in Australia will not be able to watch the IPL which kicks off today in Chennai due to a stalemate involving Australian television networks and Indian cricket administrators.

A report in ?The Age? states that ?Network Ten? held the rights for the first four seasons of the IPL but declined to air last year?s event, mainly because of the poor ratings and also because it coincided with a diversification of its One HD channel away from consisting solely of sport.

The newspaper also reported that it is believed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has sought a hefty price whenever a new IPL TV rights contract has been discussed with Australian networks.

Australians can watch the action online at ipl.indiatimes.com and youtube.com/indiatimes.

The successor to Ten for the now-lapsed IPL rights, Fox Sports, is about to begin its broadcast of the West Indies Tests, while on weekends it has significant AFL, rugby league, rugby union and soccer commitments.