NEW DELHI: A group of ministers (GoM), looking into mandatory sports content sharing with Prasar Bharati, has recommended in favour of the pubcaster.

Government sources told Indiantelevision.com that the GoM has recommended content sharing related to cricket with retrospective effect.

Proposed listed non-cricket sporting events will have to be shared by private broadcasters and rights holders on a prospective basis from the time the proposal is enacted into a legislation.

The GoM is also understood to have said that the Prasar Bharati, managing Doordarshan and All India Radio (AIR), would be free to use such shared content on all its platform whether it be terrestrial or satellite based.

In what is seen as a clear populist move, which could lead to future legal wrangling, the GoM has supported and I&B ministry suggestion that the proposed legislation would cover all sporting events involving India within and outside the country.

However, as a concession to private telecast rights holders the GoM has suggested revenue sharing in favour of the private broadcasters.

The pubcaster will keep 25 per cent of the advertising reveune generated from marketing sports events on its networks, while the remaining will go to the private rights holders.

The GoM has also suggested that the private rights holders would not pay Prasar Bharati any minimum guarantee or opportunity cost.

The sources indicated that the other proposal in the uplink and the downlink policies being proposed by the I&B ministry remains more or less the same.

Some of the other proposals includes registration in India of all channels beaming into the country, allowing foreign news channels to get uplink permission on an annual basis and allowing FIIs investment in news channels within the foreign holding cap of 26 per cent.

The GoM's recommendations will have to be cleared by the Union Cabinet.