The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the schedule for a three-match Test series against England, set to begin on October 7, with the first match taking place at Multan Cricket Stadium. However, with less than a month remaining, the PCB has yet to secure a media rights partner, which could lead to significant financial losses and limit international viewership of the series.
Previously, during the two-Test series between Pakistan and Bangladesh, the PCB was unable to secure media rights, resulting in no broadcast coverage outside of Pakistan.
“The PCB had initially set an ambitious reserve price of approximately $21 million for a three-year international media rights deal, but no bid came close to meeting this figure. The highest offer came from the foreign company Sports Five, which bid $7.8 million. A joint bid from two Pakistani companies amounted to around $4.1 million, while Willow TV offered $2.25 million. All bids were rejected as they fell short of the reserve price” reported Pakistan Cricket.
To address the ongoing media rights issue, the PCB initiated a re-tendering process for the upcoming home series against New Zealand and the women’s series against the West Indies. A joint bid from two Pakistani companies, totaling $99,000, was ultimately accepted as the winning offer.
According to sources from Cricket Pakistan, with time running short, the PCB may have to sell the rights at a significantly reduced price to avoid a blackout in the UK.
This situation not only jeopardizes viewership for the series but could also lead to substantial financial losses for the PCB, raising concerns about the management of media rights in the future.
Additionally, the PCB is currently facing its lowest performance levels, having lost a Test series against Bangladesh for the first time and experiencing its biggest defeat in the 2024 T20 World Cup against the non-Test playing nation, the United States.
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Name of Author: Cricexec Staff
