Mandatory sharing of sports broadcast signals does not extend to cable retransmission through Doordarshan channels.

The mandatory sharing regime for sports broadcasting signals was confined to a limited transfer of the live feed to Prasar Bharati for retransmission on its own terrestrial and DTH networks. Section 8 of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 did not enlarge that sharing obligation or authorise carriage of the shared sports feed through cable operators carrying Doordarshan channels. The later sports broadcasting law was applied on its own terms, and Prasar Bharati's existing rights under the Prasar Bharati Act were left unaffected. The shared feed was therefore not permitted to be retransmitted through cable operators.

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Issues: Whether the live broadcasting signals of sporting events of national importance, shared with Prasar Bharati under the Sports Broadcasting Signals (Mandatory Sharing with Prasar Bharati) Act, 2007, could be retransmitted through Doordarshan channels carried by cable operators under the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995.

Analysis: The mandatory sharing obligation under Section 3 of the Sports Broadcasting Signals (Mandatory Sharing with Prasar Bharati) Act, 2007 was held to be a limited and strictly construed curtailment of the content rights holder's broadcasting rights. The statutory language confined sharing to enable Prasar Bharati to retransmit the signals on its own terrestrial and DTH networks. Section 8 of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995, which imposes a separate must-carry obligation on cable operators in respect of notified Doordarshan channels, was held not to expand the scope of Section 3 or to authorise retransmission of the shared sports feed through cable operators. The later sports legislation was treated as operating on its own terms, and the existing rights of Prasar Bharati under Section 12(3)(c) of the Prasar Bharati (Broadcasting Corporation of India) Act, 1990 were not affected.

Conclusion: The shared live feed could be retransmitted only on Prasar Bharati's own terrestrial and DTH networks and not through cable operators; the appeals were dismissed.

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