Consortium of ARY and Tower Sports awarded broadcast rights in Pakistan region from Aug 2024-Dec 26

[Cricket Warrior]

Consortium of ARY and Tower Sports awarded broadcast rights in Pakistan region from Aug 2024-Dec 26

• Broadcast rights awarded at double the price as compared to the previous two-year cycle

• Commentators confirmed for Pakistan versus Bangladesh ICC World Test Championship fixtures, which is also covered under this arrangement

Lahore, August 16, 2024:

The consortium of ARY and Tower Sports has been awarded broadcast rights for all home international cricket from August 2024 to December 2026 in the Pakistan region, the Pakistan Cricket Board announced today.

The rights were awarded following a transparent tender process. During the 28-month period, Pakistan will host 11 Tests, including seven Tests in the 2024-25 season, 26 ODIs and 24 T20Is. The ODIs include two three-nation ODI series in the current and next season.

Salman Iqbal, Founder and CEO of ARY Communications:

“Keeping in line with our commitment to bringing the best sporting events to your screen whether local or global. Now you will be able to watch some of the most exciting cricket on A Sports. We are positive that this will add to the growth of sports in our country.”

Duraid Qureshi, CEO HUM Network of which Tower Sports is a subsidiary:

“We are excited to be broadcast partners with the PCB. The upcoming international fixtures’ calendar is very exciting and will give Pakistan fans a chance to experience some great cricketing action over the next couple of years with an action-packed schedule.

“This is great news for cricket fans and also exudes a positive image of Pakistan as a host to many nations across the cricketing fraternity.”

Salman Naseer, PCB Chief Operating Officer:

“The awarding of broadcast rights for Pakistan region to the consortium of ARY and Tower Sports is a great news for Pakistan fans as we are set to host top cricketing sides of the world in the next two years.

“We appreciate our partnership with both ARY and Tower Sports and thank them for their support towards Pakistan cricket.”

Commentators details

The Pakistan Cricket Board also confirmed a panel of five commentators and one presenter for the Pakistan versus Bangladesh Test series taking place in Rawalpindi and Karachi. The first Test will be played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from 21 to 25 August, while the second Test match will be played at the National Bank Stadium from 30 August to 3 September.

Aamir Sohail, Athar Ali Khan, Bazid Khan, Nick Compton and Urooj Mumtaz will be on the commentary panel, while Sikander Bakht will be the presenter.

 

[Earth87]

Main Reason.

Babar Azam Decline as Captain
Dfensive Cricket
Friendships
Stabbing
Betrayls.
Player involvement in politics

No Records, Not even a single thjng we can recall in last 5 year this bunch of cricketers have done to it.

I dont think so any sponsor wanna take risk.

 

[Savak]

Consortium of ARY and Tower Sports awarded broadcast rights in Pakistan region from Aug 2024-Dec 26

• Broadcast rights awarded at double the price as compared to the previous two-year cycle

• Commentators confirmed for Pakistan versus Bangladesh ICC World Test Championship fixtures, which is also covered under this arrangement

Lahore, August 16, 2024:

The consortium of ARY and Tower Sports has been awarded broadcast rights for all home international cricket from August 2024 to December 2026 in the Pakistan region, the Pakistan Cricket Board announced today.

The rights were awarded following a transparent tender process. During the 28-month period, Pakistan will host 11 Tests, including seven Tests in the 2024-25 season, 26 ODIs and 24 T20Is. The ODIs include two three-nation ODI series in the current and next season.

Salman Iqbal, Founder and CEO of ARY Communications:

“Keeping in line with our commitment to bringing the best sporting events to your screen whether local or global. Now you will be able to watch some of the most exciting cricket on A Sports. We are positive that this will add to the growth of sports in our country.”

Duraid Qureshi, CEO HUM Network of which Tower Sports is a subsidiary:

“We are excited to be broadcast partners with the PCB. The upcoming international fixtures’ calendar is very exciting and will give Pakistan fans a chance to experience some great cricketing action over the next couple of years with an action-packed schedule.

“This is great news for cricket fans and also exudes a positive image of Pakistan as a host to many nations across the cricketing fraternity.”

Salman Naseer, PCB Chief Operating Officer:

“The awarding of broadcast rights for Pakistan region to the consortium of ARY and Tower Sports is a great news for Pakistan fans as we are set to host top cricketing sides of the world in the next two years.

“We appreciate our partnership with both ARY and Tower Sports and thank them for their support towards Pakistan cricket.”

Commentators details

The Pakistan Cricket Board also confirmed a panel of five commentators and one presenter for the Pakistan versus Bangladesh Test series taking place in Rawalpindi and Karachi. The first Test will be played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from 21 to 25 August, while the second Test match will be played at the National Bank Stadium from 30 August to 3 September.

Aamir Sohail, Athar Ali Khan, Bazid Khan, Nick Compton and Urooj Mumtaz will be on the commentary panel, while Sikander Bakht will be the presenter.

According to a Sports Report, this deal is for $9 million for 3 years. That is a shockingly low price given the quality of teams participating in Pakistan from 2024 to 2026. There is a reason why the PCB never reveals its numbers in public i.e. they want to avoid scrutiny.

 

[rpant_gabba]

According to a Sports Report, this deal is for $9 million for 3 years. That is a shockingly low price given the quality of teams participating in Pakistan from 2024 to 2026. There is a reason why the PCB never reveals its numbers in public i.e. they want to avoid scrutiny.

Wait, is this the total broadcast rights revenue to PCB from Pak territory? for all Pak home matches? for 3 full years?

Damn. wonder if BCCI has this information?

 

[DeadlyVenom]

According to a Sports Report, this deal is for $9 million for 3 years. That is a shockingly low price given the quality of teams participating in Pakistan from 2024 to 2026. There is a reason why the PCB never reveals its numbers in public i.e. they want to avoid scrutiny.

Who is the sports report?

 

[Savak]

Who is the sports report?

Abdul Waheed Khan.

 

[Savak]

Wait, is this the total broadcast rights revenue to PCB from Pak territory? for all Pak home matches? for 3 full years?

Damn. wonder if BCCI has this information?

Maybe @Junaids can give us a good explanation and demonstrate how BCCI is living off of PCB?

after all INR worth is that of toilet paper right?

I am not sure if it is $9 million for the 3 years in total or $9 million per year for the next 3 years. Even $9 million per year from your domestic broadcaster is a poor deal for your home season which is jampacked.

 

[U$ofA]

According to a Sports Report, this deal is for $9 million for 3 years. That is a shockingly low price given the quality of teams participating in Pakistan from 2024 to 2026. There is a reason why the PCB never reveals its numbers in public i.e. they want to avoid scrutiny.

The ongoing stadium renovations is going to cost that much. So the $9 million is already spent! Where is the PCB going to go for money?

 

[rpant_gabba]

Is this a reflection of Pak team or Pak economy?

 

[Savak]

Is this a reflection of Pak team or Pak economy?

Both. The figure is not confirmed yet. I relistened to the journalist and apparently the PCB has accepted $9 million for 3 years from the international broadcasters like Willow but Asports is giving them twice the amount for the Pakistan Domestic rights for the international games in Pakistan for the next 3 years but no dollar figure has been released by the PCB.

 

[rpant_gabba]

Both. The figure is not confirmed yet. I relistened to the journalist and apparently the PCB has accepted $9 million for 3 years from the international broadcasters like Willow but Asports is giving them twice the amount for the Pakistan Domestic rights for the international games in Pakistan for the next 3 years but no dollar figure has been released by the PCB.

So PCB for all its big talk is not even able to make only 30% of what it gets from ICC?

 

[DeadlyVenom]

Abdul Waheed Khan.

I think he has made a mistake.

 

[Rana]

Main Reason.

Babar Azam Decline as Captain
Dfensive Cricket
Friendships
Stabbing
Betrayls.
Player involvement in politics

No Records, Not even a single thjng we can recall in last 5 year this bunch of cricketers have done to it.

I dont think so any sponsor wanna take risk.

@Major where is your ‘Rizwan ICC T20 player’ in all this?

 

[mominsaigol]

@Major where is your ‘Rizwan ICC T20 player’ in all this?

Rizwan and Chacha are the 2 biggest buddies of Misbah and now of Babar, It's why we see these 2 commonly in the slips and why these 2 won't ever be critisized by Major.

I've done all digging, when Misbah came as coach and selector he wanted to make rizwan captain, It's just that he could not because Rizwan at no 4 was so trash in t20 and his own place in odi and test was not set so media attention would have asked Misbah to be sacked right away. Furthermore Fakhar had his 91 of 46 against an OP aussie attack in a tri series final.

Misbah needed a way to make rizwan work because rizzu is a comfort zone batter, He loves sticking to the legside and accumulating, but no 4 asked him to increase RR which he could not do. So opener was the easiest position to bat through, However this was met with media hate from people who wanted falhsr zaman to open.

Misbah knew this very well, but he also knew fakhar was shariff and a team player, so he verbatim told fakhar that rizwan was better and that his best role is at 4 or 5. He knew fakhar would agree and with falhar telling the media he's happy with no 4 to no 5, Misbah criminal acts are clear.

He did this with chacha, Brought chachu to replace Haris sohail at 5, Chacha sucked so for a while he deliberately waited until Zampa finished his spell to bring chacha on, It worked for a while until chacha failed way too much, So he hid him at no 7 and sometimes 8 and pretended chacha was a finisher and also hid behind the allrounder clause.

Rizzu amd chacha are the biggest crooks in international cricket and what people don't understand is that when you back a player to such an extent, Aka saving them from increasing rr or Wrist spin and giving then their optimal conditions, Optimal environments etc Then fans expect Gilchrist amd Dhoni level results.

This whole Rizzu and chacha are medicore but their all we got is a complete load of crap, If you've given them optimal conditions then they must provide optimal results, not medicore ones where they'll end moqa moqa and conqur sri lanka only to botch Asia cups, Botch world cups and so on and so fort.

 

[Rana]

Rizwan and Chacha are the 2 biggest buddies of Misbah and now of Babar, It's why we see these 2 commonly in the slips and why these 2 won't ever be critisized by Major.

I've done all digging, when Misbah came as coach and selector he wanted to make rizwan captain, It's just that he could not because Rizwan at no 4 was so trash in t20 and his own place in odi and test was not set so media attention would have asked Misbah to be sacked right away. Furthermore Fakhar had his 91 of 46 against an OP aussie attack in a tri series final.

Misbah needed a way to make rizwan work because rizzu is a comfort zone batter, He loves sticking to the legside and accumulating, but no 4 asked him to increase RR which he could not do. So opener was the easiest position to bat through, However this was met with media hate from people who wanted falhsr zaman to open.

Misbah knew this very well, but he also knew fakhar was shariff and a team player, so he verbatim told fakhar that rizwan was better and that his best role is at 4 or 5. He knew fakhar would agree and with falhar telling the media he's happy with no 4 to no 5, Misbah criminal acts are clear.

He did this with chacha, Brought chachu to replace Haris sohail at 5, Chacha sucked so for a while he deliberately waited until Zampa finished his spell to bring chacha on, It worked for a while until chacha failed way too much, So he hid him at no 7 and sometimes 8 and pretended chacha was a finisher and also hid behind the allrounder clause.

Rizzu amd chacha are the biggest crooks in international cricket and what people don't understand is that when you back a player to such an extent, Aka saving them from increasing rr or Wrist spin and giving then their optimal conditions, Optimal environments etc Then fans expect Gilchrist amd Dhoni level results.

This whole Rizzu and chacha are medicore but their all we got is a complete load of crap, If you've given them optimal conditions then they must provide optimal results, not medicore ones where they'll end moqa moqa and conqur sri lanka only to botch Asia cups, Botch world cups and so on and so fort.

Excellent work bro. People will not appreciate this because they want to live in denial

 

[ElRaja]

Is this a reflection of Pak team or Pak economy?

pak economy, even a rubbish pak team, given their support, would command significantly more money in a semi-decent economy.

 

[Bewal Express]

Main Reason.

Babar Azam Decline as Captain
Dfensive Cricket
Friendships
Stabbing
Betrayls.
Player involvement in politics

No Records, Not even a single thjng we can recall in last 5 year this bunch of cricketers have done to it.

I dont think so any sponsor wanna take risk.

Lack of talent, a terrible board, poor domestic pitches and a mafia that steals everything

 

[rpant_gabba]

pak economy, even a rubbish pak team, given their support, would command significantly more money in a semi-decent economy.

I can understand 30-50M /year. I feel there is something bigger than cricket in the works here

 

[arunp]

I can understand 30-50M /year. I feel there is something bigger than cricket in the works here

Why do you feel so ? I feel this is max Pak team commands.

 

[rpant_gabba]

Why do you feel so ? I feel this is max Pak team commands.

Pak has sizeable population with disposable income and ther is other entertainment in Pak to speak of. lollywood is dead. no other spectator sport scratches the surface

with GDP of $375B they should be able to get more than $20m/year

 

[arunp]

Pak has sizeable population with disposable income and ther is other entertainment in Pak to speak of. lollywood is dead. no other spectator sport scratches the surface

with GDP of $375B they should be able to get more than $20m/year

Fair. I always felt Pakistan is like the Carribean. They are interested in PSl, but disinterested in Pak national team. Pak cricket was finding it difficult to fill stadiums during their test matches. I also felt only the cities(Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi) were interested in cricket.

 

[Advaith]

Women ipl broadcasting rights were more than 100 million dollars for next five years ..There is something seriously missing in these figures..

 

[cricketjoshila]

So PCB tv rights are not getting even the reserve amount.

PCB is now getting more and more dependent on the ICC revenues.

No wonder they are in no position to boycott.

 

[arunp]

Women ipl broadcasting rights were more than 100 million dollars for next five years ..There is something seriously missing in these figures..

I think Indian middle class which predominantly watches cricket and WIPL, has massive purchasing power unlike the people who watch cricket in Pakistan. On top of that, Pak cricket team is very inconsistent.
I did not expect anything more tbh.

 

[chinaman00]

A combination of unprofessional board, a serial loser team that plays extremely boring cricket and Byzantium stadiums not fit for cricket all contribute to the worthless nature of PCB & its inability to attract broadcast funds.

Test cricket in Pakistan feels like a Soviet punishment rather than sports with players playing in grueling pitches and incurring serious injuries regularly.

You can’t have your cake and eat it too. If you want the fans and broadcasters to come, you have to manage your cricket better. Simple as that.

 

[Varun]

I'll just say it: Pakistan need to discover a Tendulkar type player to lead them out of the current abyss and for the next 10-15 years.

The fans and money will naturally follow.

 

[Bhaijaan]

I'll just say it: Pakistan need to discover a Tendulkar type player to lead them out of the current abyss and for the next 10-15 years.

The fans and money will naturally follow.

Sachin’s greatest legacy in my opinion.

He made everyone richer. The greatest attraction the game has ever seen.

 

[Varun]

Sachin’s greatest legacy in my opinion.

He made everyone richer. The greatest attraction the game has ever seen.

Yep, and I'm sure a country like Pakistan with its cricketing history, infrastructure and millions watching can produce one.

 

[Omer2002]

Who are showing in the UK is my question

 

[Bhaijaan]

Yep, and I'm sure a country like Pakistan with its cricketing history, infrastructure and millions watching can produce one.

They actually had one in Imran Khan but he had money on his mind rather than the country’s well being.

 

[Varun]

They actually had one in Imran Khan but he had money on his mind rather than the country’s well being.

If they produce an Imran Khan type now that will work too. Nothing wrong with his off field pursuits, he averaged great with both bat and ball.

 

[Bhaijaan]

If they produce an Imran Khan type now that will work too. Nothing wrong with his off field pursuits, he averaged great with both bat and ball.

With women he had a high strike rate too but for his nation as a politician he turned out to be a match fixer.

 

[Savak]

I'll just say it: Pakistan need to discover a Tendulkar type player to lead them out of the current abyss and for the next 10-15 years.

The fans and money will naturally follow.

Tbh this is mostly about the quality of the economy. The Pakistani economy is in the dumps right now.

Pakistan had world class players in the 80's and 90's but they didn't generate enough money commercially for the PCB. What the PCB can generate or convince the broadcasters to pay is heavily influenced by the team's performances, quality of players and the recovery the broadcasters can get from the Pakistani market.

 

[BouncerGuy]

As per report:

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has sold the broadcasting rights for international home matches between August 2024 and December 2026 for PKR 1.72 billion, significantly lower than the initial reserve price of PKR 3.2 billion.

Despite this, PCB officials claim the new deal is more than double the amount received in the previous rights cycle (FTP 2021 to 2024). The rights were sold to a Pakistani consortium comprising ARY and Tower Sports.

The PCB has not disclosed specific figures but indicated that the sale price was higher than the previous contract. Interest in star players Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan appears to be waning.

 

[shah_1]

Who would want to invest a lot with such poor quality test cricket. Waste of money for broadcasters.


Even on weekends I'm not bothered to watch this borefeast.

 

[AMSS]

That's 6 million USD for over 2 years long period. Assuming this is strictly home international matches and no PSL.

 

[AMSS]

PCB should give a breakdown of how many matches the contractual period would hold so we can have a rough estimate of broadcast money earned per match.

I am assuming somewhere around 30-35 matches so roughly 200k USD per match.

 

[FearlessRoar]

As per local media reports:

Usman Waheed, the Director of Marketing for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), has resigned from his position, Geo News reported citing sources on Saturday.

The resignation comes after Waheed reportedly failed to meet several key objectives related to the upcoming Champions Events, which are being organised by the PCB for the first time across all three formats of the game.

PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi had placed significant emphasis on these Champions Events, envisioning them as the new face of domestic cricket in Pakistan. However, Waheed's inability to achieve the targets set by Naqvi, particularly in securing local and international rights and sponsorships, has led to his departure.

The PCB faced difficulties and some embarrassment in the process of selling these rights, which further compounded the challenges leading to Waheed's resignation. Despite efforts, the sponsorship deals, bid processes, and other objectives fell short of expectations, prompting Waheed to step down from his role.

 

[Savak]

That's 6 million USD for over 2 years long period. Assuming this is strictly home international matches and no PSL.

That's very poor. Considering the top teams and the Champions Trophy Pakistan is hosting at home, $6 million for 2 years is a shockingly embarrassing figure when the BCCI on avg earns $30-40 million per series against minnows.

 

[AMSS]

That's very poor. Considering the top teams and the Champions Trophy Pakistan is hosting at home, $6 million for 2 years is a shockingly embarrassing figure when the BCCI on avg earns $30-40 million per series against minnows.

Yes it would barely recover the cost of hosting matches with all the expense that comes with it - hotel, broadcast, security, etc etc. Close to a million USD per test according to some estimates.

Not a surprise PCB is completely dependent on ICC handouts.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Yes it would barely recover the cost of hosting matches with all the expense that comes with it - hotel, broadcast, security, etc etc. Close to a million USD per test according to some estimates.

Not a surprise PCB is completely dependent on ICC handouts.

This is why PAK should not play Test matches.

Makes no sense to lose so much money by hosting such a dead format.

Nobody wants to watch Shaheen trundling in to bowl to Shanto.

That's as low as it gets in Test cricket

 

[Monday Morning]

To put things in perspective, PCB makes in a year what Mitchell Starc made in one IPL season.

It's not wonder Pakistani cricketers want to play every T20 league under the sun. There just isn't enough money in Pakistan cricket sadly.

 

[Bhaijaan]

That’s shockingly low amount. How does this even help pay the bills? Its a serious question.

That’s the amount of money Babar Azam earns probably

 

[Savak]

Real question is what has Mohsin Naqvi really achieved since taking over as PCB chairman?

Under his watch the PCB has failed to secure the reserve price they set on their domestic, international broadcast deals, he is going on a Stadium renovation sprea but does the PCB have the funds to sustain these development projects in the long run?

 

[Monday Morning]

Real question is what has Mohsin Naqvi really achieved since taking over as PCB chairman?

Under his watch the PCB has failed to secure the reserve price they set on their domestic, international broadcast deals, he is going on a Stadium renovation sprea but does the PCB have the funds to sustain these development projects in the long run?

My tin-foil hat theory is Naqvi did indeed secure the reserve price (or better), but he and his masters pocketed a chunk of it and are reporting a lower amount in the press.

The buyers are a Pakistani consortium after all, so it's all done on the down low.

 

[Bhaijaan]

Real question is what has Mohsin Naqvi really achieved since taking over as PCB chairman?

Under his watch the PCB has failed to secure the reserve price they set on their domestic, international broadcast deals, he is going on a Stadium renovation sprea but does the PCB have the funds to sustain these development projects in the long run?

It’s safe to say that he’s no Wasim Khan.

 

[U$ofA]

That's very poor. Considering the top teams and the Champions Trophy Pakistan is hosting at home, $6 million for 2 years is a shockingly embarrassing figure when the BCCI on avg earns $30-40 million per series against minnows.

Perhaps the unusually large amount of tests had something to do with the low numbers.

 

[Savak]

Perhaps the unusually large amount of tests had something to do with the low numbers.

There are a good number of ODIs and T20s as well. Can't use that as an excuse. Pakistan plays far fewer test matches than other major countries. PCB has to fund it otherwise the Pakistani team will go the WI route where the players become strictly limited overs specialists.

 

[Savak]

My tin-foil hat theory is Naqvi did indeed secure the reserve price (or better), but he and his masters pocketed a chunk of it and are reporting a lower amount in the press.

The buyers are a Pakistani consortium after all, so it's all done on the down low.

Aamir Sohail has alleged this in a recent interview and he demanded a NAB investigation and oversight into the whole tv rights process.

 

[arunp]

No wonder PCB does not get bidders and their TV rights sell for less. Premier fast bowler gets his first wicket after going for plenty on a dead track in a district level stadium. My college ground was better than this housing colony stadium. Combine that with extremely low ARPU + disinterested crowd + tanking economy + unstable polity + dangerous geopolitics.

 

[BouncerGuy]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1859495169407570026