DD left with permanent legacy after CWG

NEW DELHI - Public broadcaster Doordarshan has been left with a permanent legacy after the 2010 Commonwealth Games as now its staff knows “how to go about such an event” and even have new software at their disposal, says its chief.

“If such events take place, only then do improvements come about. We now have a set of people who know how to go about it,” Doordarshan’s director general Aruna Sharma told IANS.

Doordarshan was the rights-holding broadcaster for the Oct 3-14 Games for India and also provided the feed to foreign rights holders.

Sharma said the Games had left Doordarshan with a permanent legacy. Not only did the staff receive training in high definition TV format but they also honed their skills on camera angles and correction of lighting, she said.

The broadcaster had set up a new channel - DD HD - which telecast the event in high definition format, while DD Sports provided round-the-clock transmission on standard format. Other channels like DD National, DD Urdu, DD Bharti, DD News and regional Doordarshan channels also broadcast Games-related events.

The public broadcaster has plans to use the Games software at its disposal by showing special programmes like record-breaking feats by Indian athletes. It also has plans to bring out a DVD of the opening and closing ceremonies.

Doordarshan has also decided to pen down the lessons learnt from the CWG coverage so it can serve as a rulebook for future events.

“The idea is to put it on record and form a kind of rulebook so that the drill can be smoother for the next event. It is not meant to be a witch hunt,” Sharma.

She said the broadcaster will write down how the sporting extravaganza, which saw the participation of 6,700 athletes and delegates from 71 teams, could have been broadcast in a better manner.

Sharma said Doordarshan faced tense moments as it was given access to venues “very, very late”. The public broadcaster should have got the green signal to set up facilities at the venues by June, but they could get into the act properly only by August, she said.

Sharma said some delay was also caused by the unexpected heavy rains in the run-up to the mega event.

Most of the complications were eventually ironed out and the coverage evoked appreciation from broadcasters and viewers across the world, Sharma said.

A possible reason for glitches, Sharma said, was that a major international multi-sport event was held after a gap of over two decades.

“Nobody knew the whole picture as a key multi-sport international event was held in the country after 28 years, after the Asian Games of 1982,” she said.

Suggesting a single-window clearance instead of multiple authorities, she said it would ease the process of setting up facilities. Sharma also said India should host more multi-sport international competitions and bid for the Asian Games and the Olympics.

The broadcaster had faced criticism over frequent commercial breaks during the opening ceremony, but it telecast the closing ceremony without any advertisement breaks.

(Prashant Sood can be contacted at prashant.s@ians.in)