MADURAI: With the HR&CE department passing a new G.O. regarding the live broadcasting rights of the Chithirai festival, the decks have cleared for the spectacle to be telecast live on 14 media platforms. Official sources said previously the broadcast rights were allocated through a tender process. The bidder which quotes the highest tender amount would receive the sole authorisation to broadcast the event live.
With a view to allowing more platforms to air the content, the government has now passed the special G.O. Firms that wish to broadcast the festival live had to submit a requisition order with the temple and pay `40,000 for each hour of the live broadcast. An additional Rs 40,000 as insurance per hour was also handed over.
As mentioned in the GO, as many as 14 media firms submitted requisition, out of which about 10 firms sought rights to cover only the celestial wedding. The remaining four platforms requested permission to broadcast events on all 13 days, including the Kallalagar procession. Further, the tourism department has been exempt from charges for displaying videos of the festival on their web portal.
The broadcasting crews have, however, been asked to submit footage copies to temple authorities, follow Covid-19 protocol, not to videograph some areas, including the sanctum sanctorum, and not to consume non-vegetarian food or alcohol while inside the temple premises.