Sri Lankans face television blackout in ATC final

Sri Lankan cricket fans face a television blackout as their team takes on Pakistan in the Asian Test Championship final at Lahore on Thursday after an advertising crisis triggered by an acute power shortage in the country.

The two major cricket broadcasters in the country, the state run Ruphavahini Corporation and MTV Television, were forced to abandon plans of telecasting the match on the eve of the final to avoid serious financial losses.

Low rainfall has forced the hydro-electric power dependent Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) to enforce daily five-hour power cuts across the country, which in turn has forced the slashing of television-based advertising budgets.

Despite this being a final, and a particularly mouthwatering one at that, sponsors have showed little interest in coming forward at the last-minute to fund the coverage.

Ruphavahini decided not to bid for the game, whilst MTV's bid was not accepted by Trans World International (TWI), the international rights brokers entrusted with the sale of the rights overseas, who were demanding approximately USD $ 20,000 for the feed exclusive of satellite costs.