On Friday, August 23, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) suffered a major setback with the international season underway. Cricket in the country has seen a massive downfall as the governing body sold the broadcast rights for international home matches for almost half of their reserve price.
The rights to broadcast international home matches between August 2024 and December 2026 in the country were sold for PKR 1.72 billion. The sale price of the rights was lower than the initial reserve price of PKR 3.2 billion that the governing body had set aside for the sale of the rights.
With big names like Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan in the squad, the broadcasting rights were expected to see a major boost. However, this was not the case as the rights were sold at a very low price, which could have caused problems for the PCB.
However, a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official, while speaking to PTI, claimed that the rights were sold at more than double the amount of the previous rights cycle (FTP 2021 to 2024). It is learnt that the governing body sold the broadcast rights of Pakistan region for 28 months.
The rights were reportedly sold to ARY and Tower Sports, claiming that the deal was worth more than the previous contract. The governing body said the rights were awarded “following a transparent bidding process” in which several bids were received.
The broadcast rights for the National Cricket Team matches over the 28 months include 11 Test matches, including seven in the 2024-25 season, 26 ODIs and 24 T20Is. Notably, the 50-overs matches also include a couple of tri-nation series in the current and next season.
Pakistan Cricket Board is struggling to generate expected revenue from broadcast rights
It is also learnt that with no reputable foreign broadcaster showing interest in the international season at home, the PCB has come under pressure. They are reportedly struggling to generate the revenue they had hoped for from broadcast rights.
State-run broadcaster Pakistan Television reportedly submitted a bid of just 1.6 billion Pakistani rupees and was not interested in further offers. A source close to the PCB admitted that the offer was lower than they had expected.
He said: “It is much less than what the PCB had initially planned while maintaining its reserve price of PKR 3.2 billion.”
Reports claim that the Cricket Board is also in trouble as they are unable to secure a broadcaster to telecast the Pakistan-England Test series in October and November. But they are confident that they will soon secure a broadcaster for the series in the UK.
The Men in Green are currently taking on the Bangladesh National Cricket Team in the two-match Test series. The first match between the teams is underway at the Rawalpindi International Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi and the hosts are in the top position.