New Delhi:
SIS Live, the sole broadcaster for the Commonwealth Games, on Thursday claimed there was no "dubious" deal involved in using the services of Zoom communications for CWG telecast and that at no point of time had it violated terms of the contract signed with Prasar Bharti.
It said it was wrong to suggest that SIS LIVE violated the terms of its contract and that the company was simply functioning as a front company for Zoom to secure the telecast rights.
"These allegations are factually inaccurate, misleading in their implications, and gravely defamatory to the reputations of the organisations concerned," the company said in a statement from Langely, United Kingdom.
SIS Live said that under the terms of the contract it was fully entitled to work with contractors who could assist with different aspects of the implementation of the project, and in successfully executing this large and complex assignment, SIS worked with a large number of contractors and suppliers, including Zoom.
"But at no time did SIS assign or transfer its broadcasting contract, or any part of the contract to Zoom.
All documentation in relation to project costs has been submitted to the relevant tax authorities," David Meynell, SIS LIVE managing director, said.
He said that securing major contractors and service providers, such as Zoom, was vital to be able to ensure delivery of the Games - there is nothing dubious about this and is common practice in the industry for this scale of event.
The UK-based broadcasting company acquired the BBC's outside broadcast business in 2008. It has provided broadcast service for major sporting events across the world including CWG 2002 in Manchester, Wimbledon Tennis, Formula 1 motor sport and the English Premier League.
According to reports, Prasar Bharti had awarded telecast rights to SIS Live for Rs 246 crore, sighting its expertise in specialised, high-definition service. However, SIS Live allegedly violated the contract by outsourcing the rights to Zoom Ltd.
Sources in the Information and Broadcasting Ministry had earlier said that Prasar Bharti had inserted clauses favouring SIS Live in the final contract.