Sri Lankan radio facing legal action over cricket commentary

Sri Lanka's national radio broadcaster faces legal action after mounting a pirate ball-by-ball audio commentary production during the ICC Champions Trophy.

The state-owned Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) refused to purchase radio rights from the International Cricket Council's official radio rights holder in Sri Lanka, a corporation called Frescia.

Frescia had purchased exclusive Sri Lankan and Pakistani radio rights for the ICC Champions Trophy 2002 and the ICC World Cup 2003.

They have produced a radio feed for Pakistan Radio but have been unable to sell on their rights in Sri Lanka because SLBC - the only station with spare frequency for a dedicated sports broadcast - deny that they need to acquire rights if they are to produce live ball-by-ball commentary from a television feed.

Global Cricket Corporation (GCC), the ICC's broadcasting and marketing rights partner, which paid USD 550 million dollars for exclusive marketing and broadcasting rights up until 2007, is seeking legal advice.

Having already sold the rights to Frescia, the GCC are expected to seek an injunction against SLBC in Sri Lanka's courts. SLBC could also be sued for lost earnings as Frescia will demand compensation.

The GCC will fear that a dangerous precedent will be set if they are unable to halt SLBC's commentary, encouraging other radio broadcasters to follow suit during the ICC World Cup next year.

However, they may face a complicated legal battle in the Sri Lankan courts, with the SLBC likely to argue that they are generating their own intellectual property.

Moreover, as a public service broadcaster, they could claim to be acting in interests of their listeners by producing a feed.