I-League Owners Up In Arms Against Start Sports’ Decision Of Trimming Live Telecasts Of I-League Clubs From 110 To 80

The move to telecast only 30 select matches live from the second half of I-League, India’s domestic league, has attracted the ire of club owners playing in the league. It has also attracted widespread condemnation and is perceived as what some might term as a “concentrated effort to kill the league,” reports TNIE.

The decision reduces the number of games televised of the ongoing I-League from a 110 to just 80 games, and this has irked supporters of the league. Star sports had initially assured that they would telecast all the 110 matches before the start of the season.

A total of 61 games are yet to be played from December 29 till the season end, which is in March. Champions Minerva Punjab FC, East Bengal, Mohun Bagan, Chennai City FC and Real Kashmir FC are some of the clubs which have raised concerns over the live coverage of their games.

As per the list of games to be telecast live in the second half of the league, Minerva Punjab FC are the worst affected.

While Star Sports is the telecast partner of the league, the production rights of the league remain with Football Sports Development Limited (FSDl) which is a part of IMG-Reliance, who are also the promoters of the Indian Super League (ISL) and the commercial partners of the All India Football Federation (AIFF).