Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Bangladesh has cleared the way for the telecast of the Indian Premier League (IPL), with the newly appointed Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Swapan confirming there are no restrictions on broadcasting the tournament in the country. In a significant policy shift, Swapan said the government does not intend to mix politics with sports and will instead evaluate the matter from a commercial perspective. He noted that broadcasters willing to air the IPL can approach the authorities, and their applications would be considered positively.
The clarification comes in the backdrop of an earlier ban imposed by the previous interim administration, which had halted IPL telecasts in Bangladesh. The move had created uncertainty among broadcasters and cable operators ahead of the tournament.
“No one applied to us to telecast the IPL. We don’t want to mix politics with sport. We will look at it from a commercial perspective, and if any channel applies to telecast the IPL, we will consider it positively,” Swapan was quoted as saying by Deutsche Welle. Swapan also indicated that international sports networks, including Star Sports, are free to broadcast the IPL in Bangladesh if they choose to. He emphasised that the government would neither impose restrictions nor compel any broadcaster, underlining a more open approach to sports broadcasting rights.
“We will not bar anyone from telecasting it. If Star Sports wants to telecast it, they can. If any of our channels want to telecast it, we will take it positively, but we will not force anything,” he added. Earlier, Aminul Haque, the State Minister for Youth and Sports, had suggested that the authorities would revisit the issue and hold discussions with relevant stakeholders following the earlier ban..
