In Brief
Star Sports challenged a High Court order requiring it to remove sponsor logos and on-screen credits from live cricket broadcasts shared with public broadcaster Prasar Bharati. The Supreme Court held that 'without its advertisements' in the Sports Broadcasting Signals Act means all advertisements must be removed regardless of source—including sponsor logos inserted by event organizers like the ICC. The Court reasoned that such logos are commercial advertisements paid for by sponsors to promote their brands. When advertisements are included in signals shared with Prasar Bharati, the enlarged audience increases advertiser benefit, justifying mandatory revenue sharing. The Court dismissed the appeal, upholding the statutory obligation to share clean feeds without advertisements unless revenue is shared per statute.
The lawyer headnote and full judgment text are available to registered users.