SIS Live owed "millions" for Commonwealth Games

Managing director David Meynell told Broadcast that the OB firm is still waiting for 40% of its total fee, with no formal explanation as to why it has not received the outstanding money.

SIS Live received an initial payment of 60% in advance of the games taking place, but an October payment date was missed. The final tranche is due to be paid later this month. 

“A couple of invoices have not been paid to the tune of a few million dollars,” Meynell said. “Operationally it was a massive success, but the challenge now is getting paid. There is no legal action at the moment and we expect to be paid soon, but it is frustrating.”

Meynell said there had been “a number of false and misleading allegations about SIS in the Indian press,” including allegations of corruption, which the firm strenuously denies.

One newspaper, the Times of India, said that SIS Live “arm twisted the Indian government into changing the terms of its payment by threatening to walk out of its contract”.

But Meynell said the terms of the agreement with host broadcaster Prasar Bharati (Broadcasting Corporation of India) had to be changed because broadcast compounds that were meant to be handed over to SIS Live on June 1 were not available until September 9.

“With costs escalating daily as a consequence of this time compression, and the possibility of being able to complete what was required to provide world-class coverage diminishing, a re-phasing of payments was agreed so that SIS Live was to receive the fourth tranche - 30% per cent of the contract value - earlier than in the original agreement,” Meynell said. “This meant that a total of 60% was paid in advance of games time.”