Former IPL chairman Lalit Modi has disclosed that he deliberately breached broadcasting rules during the inaugural IPL match in 2008 between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (then Royal Challengers Bangalore).
Modi, who now resides in exile in the United Kingdom, was concerned about the viewership of the first game. He decided to override Sony's exclusive broadcasting rights, believing the network's reach was insufficient to generate the necessary audience.
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"Everything, everything was dependent on that one game. I broke every rule in the book that day. I signed the contract, an exclusive contract with Sony, but Sony didn't have the reach. I said open the signal. Now it was available everywhere, right? And I told all the broadcasters who lost out, all of you, all news channels, go live," Lalit told Michael Clarke during a recent podcast.
"Sony said 'I'll sue you'. I said 'Sue me later, forget about it? Ok, we are going live now because you don't have the reach'. I needed everybody to watch the first game. If the first game had flopped, I was dead."
While contemporary media reports do not extensively document these claims, the IPL proved highly successful for both Sony and Modi, who served as a BCCI board member at the time.
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The relationship between BCCI and Modi later became contentious, leading to legal disputes. In March 2009, BCCI terminated its broadcasting agreement with Sony Entertainment Television and World Sports Group, citing contract violations.
Modi subsequently negotiated a new arrangement where Sony regained rights until 2017 for approximately 1.63 billion US dollars (around Rs. 8,200 crore). As part of this deal, World Sports Group received a facilitation fee of 425 crore rupees for relinquishing their claims.
This payment drew attention from authorities as BCCI alleged Modi had exceeded his authority in modifying contracts and showing preference to WSG. The matter attracted investigation from the Enforcement Directorate and became part of legal proceedings against Modi. These allegations regarding contract modifications and favouritism toward WSG form a significant portion of the charges Modi currently faces.
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