Aus media decide to boycott photo coverage of India series

Melbourne: Major Australian media houses have decided to boycott photo coverage of the upcoming Test series against India starting on February 22 in Chennai in protest against the BCCI`s decision to deny accreditation to a photo news agency.

NEWS Limited and AAP said they will not publish images and show videos from Australia`s tour of India after the BCCI locked out Getty Images, which supplies images to four of the biggest media companies in Australia. Getty Images provides images to major Australian publishers, including News Limited, Fairfax Media, APN News & Media and Seven West Media. The boycott comes a day after Australian Broadcasting Corporation decided not to broadcast or report live from the tour after veteran radio commentator Jim Maxwell was denied accreditation by the BCCI. A similar boycott had happened during England`s tour of India last year after the BCCI denied accreditation to two international photo news agencies, Getty Images and Action Images. News agencies including AFP, Thomson-Reuters and the Associated Press suspended text and photo coverage of the England series over the BCCI`s decision. British newspapers and their websites carried no live photos or video grabs of the England series. Australia`s peak industry body, The Newspaper Works, has expressed disappointment at the decision of the BCCI to lock out Getty Images from the Test tour. The Newspaper Works chief executive, Tony Hale, expects major publishers based in Australia to enforce a similar ban. "The BCCI`s decision is not in the interests of cricket fans, the public or ultimately the great game of cricket. Reputable photographic agencies like Getty Images should not be discriminated against and the International Cricket Council should intervene," Hale said. PTI