19 March 2010
Olswang has recently advised long-standing client, SIS Live, on the contract to produce and broadcast the XIX Commonwealth Games in India later this year.
SIS Live was awarded the contract by Prasar Bharati, the broadcasting corporation of India, in October 2009 after an exhaustive tender process. India’s public broadcaster, Doordarshan (a subsidiary of Prasar Bharati), is the host broadcaster for the Games.
Under the contract, SIS Live will provide HD coverage of all the 17 different sports across 12 venues. SIS Live will also capture the opening and closing ceremonies, and the worldwide coverage of the Queen’s Baton Relay, which started in London on 29th October 2009 and travels across all 71 competing Commonwealth countries over the course of the year leading up to the start of the Games.
In the UK, corporate partner Mark Bertram and associate Tom Crease provided structuring advice for the SIS contracting entity. In India, Olswang consultant Rishi Bhatnagar, working with local law firm Naveen Goel, provided advice to SIS Live and assistance in liaising with Prasar Bharati and the Indian Solicitor-General’s office.
Mark Bertram commented: "We have had a longstanding relationship with SIS and were delighted to be in a position to provide them with the required specialist expertise in both jurisdictions to conclude this key broadcasting contract. It is also rewarding to have been involved with a sporting event of such significance as the start date now approaches."
Kevin Smith, SIS’s Legal Director said: ”What initially looked like a straightforward service contract in legal terms turned out to involve some remarkably intricate issues of public law and Government practice. The fact that the Indian legal system is based on the English common law can be a hazard for the unwary, and signing the deal would have been impossible without the quality of local advice provided”
The deal demonstrates further penetration by Olswang's leading Indian practice as it fronts a drive to take Olswang's client base into India. Olswang now has two Indian consultants whose role it is to help to passport Olswang's TMT and leisure clients into India.
Olswang's head of India Practice, David Roberts, noted: "Olswang is now reaching out into the Indian media space with great pace and gusto. The hiring of India media specialist Parvinder Bhatia has significantly strengthened our ability to introduce our clients to the right people in India. There are plenty more deals on the way."
For ref:
Jerry Minihane
+44 (0) 20 7067 3050
Jerry.minihane@olswang.com
About SIS
The Satellite Information Services (SIS) group is one of the world’s leading operators in television broadcasting. It is the foremost supplier of television programming and data services to the UK and Ireland betting industry.
The group’s broadcast business, SIS Live, has the largest satellite uplink fleet in Europe and is the largest outside broadcast provider in the UK. It offers a complete broadcasting solution from onsite outside broadcast facilities through to global distribution and IP provision.
The company covers 100,000 hours of live events worldwide each year, including Formula One, The Wimbledon Championships, UEFA Champions League football and European Tour Golf, and delivers approximately 80% of live news feeds across the UK.
