PCB's home match broadcasting rights sold for 350 million rupees
Published 5 days ago | By Nouman Shakeel
Pakistan Cricket Board has sold the broadcasting rights of home international matches for Rs 35 crore. The only bid in the tender was from state-run TV, which won the rights, while the PCB had set a reserve price of Rs 60 crore for the rights.
PCB had issued a tender for broadcasting rights of home matches a few days back. The latest deal covers a total of 25 matches, including 5 Tests, 14 One Day Internationals and 6 T20I matches.
Absence of major broadcasters
According to the report, three major broadcasters currently owe Pakistan Cricket Board a huge amount of money. Although these companies were not barred from participating in the bidding, they did not participate in the bidding process themselves.
A company that has acquired most of the broadcasting rights of Pakistan cricket has also not shown interest this time. The recent performance of the national team and the relatively low interest of the fans in the matches against Ireland and Sri Lanka are also considered as reasons for not participating in the bidding process.
This time, PCB did not even give permission to participate in the bidding through the consortium. In PSL too, a ban has already been imposed regarding consortium.
25 matches part of the deal
The matches included in the recent agreement cover different formats and series.
| Format | Matches | Scheduled Opponent / Series |
|---|---|---|
| Test | 5 | Sri Lanka, Ireland, New Zealand |
| ODI | 14 | Triangular Series / International Fixtures |
| T20I | 6 | Sri Lanka, Ireland |
| Total | 25 | Home International Matches |
Three T20 International matches against Sri Lanka are scheduled for this month, followed by a seven-match triangular ODI series involving England.
Two Test matches against Sri Lanka are also scheduled for next month. Additionally, the schedule includes three T20 matches against Ireland and a seven-match triangular ODI series featuring Zimbabwe, set for January 2027.
The schedule also includes one Test match against Ireland in February, along with two Test matches against New Zealand across February and March.
Questions Regarding the Hosting of Certain Matches
Some reports claim that Zimbabwe has declined the tour due to commercial reasons, raising doubts about the triangular ODI series taking place. Similarly, there are reports suggesting that the lone Test match against Ireland may not go ahead.
However, the Pakistan Cricket Board has not yet officially confirmed these reports; therefore, the final status of the aforementioned matches and series will only become clear following an announcement by the PCB.
