Islamabad, Sep 23: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is facing a major financial challenge as it struggles to secure international media rights for the upcoming home Test series against England, starting on October 7 in Multan. The absence of a broadcasting deal could lead to significant financial losses and hinder access for English fans and Pakistanis in the UK.
Initially, the PCB set a high reserve price of approximately $21 million for a three-year international media rights deal, but the bids received fell well short.
The highest bid was from Sports Five at $7.8 million, followed by a joint bid from two Pakistani companies at $4.1 million, and Willow TV at $2.25 million—all of which were rejected for not meeting the reserve price.
To address this, the PCB re-tendered the media rights for the home series against New Zealand and the women’s series against the West Indies. In this round, the joint bid from two Pakistani companies for just $99,000 was accepted.
Despite the involvement of former ICC official Campbell Jamieson, the PCB did not see any improvement. Subsequent attempts to sell international media rights for the 2024-26 period yielded offers 50% lower than the previously rejected bids, leading to further delays.
Traditionally, Sky Sports has broadcast Pakistan cricket in the UK, but they have expressed no interest this time. As time runs out, the PCB may have to sell the rights for the Pakistan-England series at a significantly reduced price to prevent a blackout in the UK, which would severely impact viewership and financial returns.
