With the ordinance in place private broadcasters will have to share the feed of the much-awaited World Cup cricket series beginning in the West Indies in March.

Perhaps to avoid taking the issue right back to court and to cushion the blow to the private broadcaster, who has bought rights for a hefty sum from the cricket board, the minister announced that a technical committee would find means of encryption to ensure there is no piracy of feed.

Dasmunsi said the ordinance, and later the law, would prove beneficial for sports less popular than cricket, like hockey, football, boxing, kho-kho.

The Centre has also proposed penalties, including suspension of licence etc, for violation of the terms and conditions of the ordinance.

Nimbus welcomed the government’s decision to consider encryption of DD channel while sharing sports telecast with private sports broadcasters, though the matter appeared headed to the courts.

“We welcome the decision to consider encryption of channels just as it brings in an ordinance to make sharing of sporting rights mandatory on Doordarshan and AIR,” Nimbus chief Harish Thawani said.