Screening licence stumps pubs

MUMBAI: Clubs, lounges, and other commercial establishments hoping to cash in on the World Cup fever find themselves confronting a stumbling block. A recent notification of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has made it mandatory for businesses with a 50-plus seating capacity to obtain a screening licence from authorised distributors of television signals of sports events.

It is a commonplace that clubs and lounges across the country screen matches on large TV screens without licence. But Sony Entertainment Television (SET), official broadcaster of the ICC World Cup 2007, wants to curb the practice.

“We have appealed to owners of hotels, restaurants, clubs, bars, malls, and multiplexes to obtain the licence, failing which there will be legal action,” said Anurag Parmar, associate director, Novex Communications, distributors of the SET Discovery One Alliance bouquet of channels.

The TRAI notification follows a Supreme Court ruling of November 24, 2006, that makes unlicensed telecast of sports events at commercial establishments illegal.

Parmar said it is also illegal to secure signals from Doordarshan or though DTH. “Commercial establishments have to enter into a valid, year-long contract with the broadcaster or authorised distributor for receiving, transmitting, and displaying the channel,” he said.

Although Novex is in various stages of negotiation with businesses across the country, Parmar said his company is prepared to deal with violators who may be imprisoned for up to three years. “We are working closely with police and monitoring establishments,” he said.

Several entertainment hubs in Mumbai claim to have already obtained the mandatory licence and are all set to telecast the World Cup. Multiplexes such as Adlabs and Cinemax will screen the matches, complete with cheerleaders, umpires, flags, and whistles.

“Bringing the small screen to a bigger one is an initiative we are taking very seriously,” said Tushar Dhingra, COO, Adlabs. The only downer is the necessity for bulk bookings. “We will soon work something out for smaller groups,” said Devang Sampat, general manager, marketing and sales, Cinemax.

Lounges telecasting the matches include Poison, Olive, and Vie, while others like Zenzi are still awaiting clearance from Novex. “We are negotiating for the licence,” said Matan Schabraq, co-owner, Zenzi.

Meanwhile, cricket buff Neha Verma was disappointed that she could not watch the match on Tuesday at Squeeze, her regular haunt. “It’s not fair that fans have to bear the brunt of the squabbling between the broadcaster and the lounge,” she said.

But Squeeze and Red Light co-owner Suved Lohia said he has the mandatory licence and customers will soon be able to enjoy the action on both his properties. “The World Cup is the biggest event of the year,” he said. “We will not let an issue like licensing fees stand in the way of business. We will ensure that cricket buffs are not left high and dry.”