A Star Sports exec said that the company has "raised concerns with cricket's governing body that advertisers might steer clear of the Champions Trophy if India opted against competing at the tournament in England," according to Sudipto Ganguly of REUTERS. At last week's Int'l Cricket Council meetings, the Board of Control for Cricket in India was outvoted 13-1 in its bid to "stall a new revenue model which considerably slashes" its financial share from global events in the '15-23 cycle. The BCCI responded by "refusing to name a squad" for the June 1-18 ODI competition by the April 25 cutoff date. The Star Sports official said, "There is concern in the market." The official added that the broadcaster had paid $1.9B for the ICC rights. The official said, "There has been no official communication from the ICC or the BCCI on India's participation. We have sent an email to the ICC asking how they plan to compensate us if our business is impacted due to India's pullout." India's "huge market is a major draw for sponsors and advertisers," who often plan product launches around major cricket tournaments and book advertising slots in advance. The option of pulling out of the Champions Trophy by revoking the Members Participation Agreement between the ICC and the BCCI has been "gaining traction" within the Indian board, which will "discuss the issue at a special general meeting on Sunday" (REUTERS, 5/4).
