Sindh High Court bars Geo Super from broadcasting matches of PSL 8

[Last Monetarist]

HBL PSL TV broadcast rights see an increase of 50%

Lahore, 23 December 2021:

Cricket fans in Pakistan will be able to watch the seventh and eighth editions of the HBL Pakistan Super League on A Sports and PTV Sports after a consortium of ARY and PTV submitted the highest bid, pursuant to a public tender process, for a TV broadcast deal with the Pakistan Cricket Board for the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

The consortium of ARY and PTV submitted the highest bid, which is an increase of 50 per cent increase from the last cycle.

That the bid has such a whopping increase is because of the broadcasters’ interest in showcasing the Pakistan cricket stars, who have enjoyed a terrific run in international cricket recently, and the Pakistan Cricket Board’s efforts to galvanise the sport’s fan base.

Babar Azam’s side has won 12 of their last 13 completed T20Is to finish 2021 with record 20 wins in the short format, the most for any international side.

PCB Acting CEO Salman Naseer: “The extraordinary interest and increase in the TV broadcast rights of the HBL Pakistan Super League underscores how popular the tournament has become despite being launched just six years ago.

“I want to thank the consortium of ARY and PTV for valuing the biggest product of Pakistan cricket, which has become a source of inspiration for thousands of young children to take up the sport.”

ARY Group CEO Salman Iqbal: “I am overjoyed to have bid the highest amount for HBL Pakistan Super League TV broadcast rights for the next two seasons. I have always supported Pakistan and Pakistan’s cricket. It is an honour for me to have exceeded the reserve price for the broadcast rights and a source of joy to know this significant amount will go toward the growth of Pakistan cricket.”

PTV Managing Director Amir Manzoor: “PTV has always supported Pakistan cricket and I am proud to announce that we will once again be a part of broadcasting and promoting Pakistan’s own league, the HBL Pakistan Super League.”

This development comes following the PCB’s efforts to broadcast its marquee event around the globe. Previously, the board joined hands with Willow TV (North America), Flow Sports (Caribbean), Sky Sports (United Kingdom), Sky Sport (New Zealand) and Super Sport (Africa) to broadcast its international home season and HBL Pakistan Super League from 2021 till 2023.

 

[MenInG]

As usual - no indication of actual amounts.

This is ridiculous and should be disclosed.

 

[Last Monetarist]

As usual - no indication of actual amounts.

This is ridiculous and should be disclosed.

The value of the rights last time around for the period 2019-21 was estimated at $36 million or $12 million per annum. A 50% increase implies a value of $18 million per annum now.

 

[MenInG]

The value of the rights last time around for the period 2019-21 was estimated at $36 million or $12 million per annum. A 50% increase implies a value of $18 million per annum now.

Ok thanks - but would be good for PCB/PSL to say that outright.

If these numbers are right, this is great news.

 

[Savak]

It's only a two year deal. I was hoping they could atleast touch the magic figure of $100 million.

Will the franchises finally be able to make profits?

Until the PCB is able to get a major broadcast deal, this PSL product will always be stagnant

 

[Savak]

$18 million per annum is going to be from ARY and PTV Sports for the next 2 years.

How much is the PCB going to make from Willow TV (North America), Flow Sports (Caribbean), Sky Sports (United Kingdom), Sky Sport (New Zealand) and Super Sport (Africa)?

 

[Forward Defensive Push]

$18 million sounds underwhelming considering the popularity of PSL in the country. A steal really!

 

[Savak]

$18 million sounds underwhelming considering the popularity of PSL in the country. A steal really!

Its only for two years tho, the last two seasons were hit by Covid and we haven't played a game in front of full crowds.

Not to mention the PCB should be getting something from the foreign broadcasters, those amounts haven't been disclosed yet

 

[MenInG]

Ok so let me get this right -

KK which is owned by the people who own A Sports is indirectly paying themselves with this deal?

 

[mastimasti]

Wasn't I reading on here the psl was going to make less money due to TV deals this time? Wonder where those posters are.

 

[Angrez Pakistani]

Ok so let me get this right -

KK which is owned by the people who own A Sports is indirectly paying themselves with this deal?

Yep. Sounds like a classic case of conflict of interest.

 

[MenInG]

Yep. Sounds like a classic case of conflict of interest.

More than that, what sort of business is that?

And this statement from Salman Iqbal

"It is an honour for me to have exceeded the reserve price for the broadcast rights and a source of joy to know this significant amount will go toward the growth of Pakistan cricket.”

Maybe I am not a business person so the finer points of this are beyond my brainpower!

 

[Savak]

Lol Salman Iqbal atleast cannot complain about not making any money from the PSL now

 

[bujhee kom]

If PSL can attract $18mn, then Walton can surely pump $500mn into the Bangladesh league!

 

[shah_1]

If PSL can attract $18mn, then Walton can surely pump $500mn into the Bangladesh league!

Who is Walton?

 

[MenInG]

From a media report:

The PSL has signed a two-year broadcast deal worth USD 24 million with local sports channels A Sports and PTV Sports.

The deal, according to the PCB, represents a 50% increase on the last cycle. That deal was worth USD 36 million over three years, but including international rights as well. This time round, the international broadcast rights for the league were sold separately; the 50% increase represents that difference as well as a weakening rupee against the dollar.

 

[wrongun]

Done ok to increase the value of the league during a very, very difficult period.

Short contract is smart by pcb.

The potential for PSL to grow into a far better product with home crowds consistently, full stadiums and a more stable structure if it is all played in Pakistan is there. If that all falls into place by the time the next deal comes around, then there's room to do far better.

 

[Savak]

Salman Iqbal can afford to pay $18 million per year for the PSL domestic broadcast rights but struggles to pay the PCB the Franchise fee of $2.6 million per year and also refuses to increase the salary cap from $900,000 per year to $1.2 million per year?

Something doesn't add up here. It looks like Franchises making excuses that the reason why they don't spend as much on the PSL and their own Franchise because they are not realizing sufficient ROIs from the Pakistani market doesn't make sense to me.

 

[cricketjoshila]

So the it was 36mn for 3 years and now 24mn for 2 years. How is it a 50 per cent increase?

 

[Savak]

So the it was 36mn for 3 years and now 24mn for 2 years. How is it a 50 per cent increase?

$It was actually $27 million for both domestic and international broadcasting. $9 million for global steaming rights.

This time it is $12 million per year for just domestic broadcasting. International broadcasting with Willow, Sky, Sony, Etc is separate.

Global streaming perhaps hasn't been sold yet.

Regardless, the PCB will only get 5% ie $1,200,000, the remaining will be distributed amongst the Franchises who will still complain of loses.

The title sponsorship is $20 million for 3 years.

This league in its 7th season is just not making enough money. The stakeholders are just happy, content with the status quo. No one wants to take risks or the tough decisions to turn around the financial fortunes of the league for the better

 

[Savak]

PTV Sports is going to do the broadcasting in Urdu whereas Asports is going to do the broadcasting in English.

Is this going to help the league?

 

[hoshiarpurexpress]

So, Salman Iqbal of ARY owns a PSL team. Also, he and his company will broadcast the PSL as well.
This is a clear case of conflict of interest, and corruption of the highest order.
This hits the credibility of the league.

There should be some appeals and lawsuits filed in Pakistan High Courts by competent lawyers.

 

[Savak]

Apparently it's $12 million per year from PTV Sports and Asports for the local broadcasting rights and $6 million per year from the likes broadcasters in England, Australia, West Indies, North America, Middle East, Australia, New Zealand etc. This makes up to $18 million per year.

Better than nothing

 

[bujhee kom]

Who is Walton?

Walton is a huge BD company and the leading consumer tech firm in South Asia.

 

[cricketjoshila]

Walton is a huge BD company and the leading consumer tech firm in South Asia.

It is not "THE" leading consumer tech firm in south Asia.

With a market cap of usd 4bn and revenued of 800mn usd, yes its relatively a big company.

 

[Bullet Drive]

Not much at all...

Wonder how much money you'd need to buy and maintain a PSL franchise?

 

[Bewal Express]

PK needs a pay per view Sports channel if the PCB is to get big money.

 

[Savak]

PK needs a pay per view Sports channel if the PCB is to get big money.

Pakistani public is used to mufta. Who is going to pay for the channel? The deal with I media was that they would get a percentage of the payments cabble operators pay for the right to have the various sports channels but the PCB never saw a dime.

These initiatives will not be successful unless the PCB successfully and ruthlessly implements the Digital Pakistan Policy

 

[MenInG]

Lahore, 24 December 2021:

Daraz on Friday submitted the highest bid, pursuant to a public tender process, to live-stream HBL Pakistan Super League 2022 and 2023 in Pakistan, which sees a walloping increase of 175 per cent from the value for the last two years.

The live-streaming bid submission comes a day after the TV rights bid submitted by the consortium of ARY and PTV at 50 per cent more than the last two years’ broadcast rights value, to showcase the seventh and eighth editions of the HBL PSL in Pakistan.

PCB Acting Chief Executive Salman Naseer: “The growing interest of the bidders and the exponential increase in their offerings is a testimony to how big the brand of HBL Pakistan Super League has become.

“In today’s digital age, live-streaming plays a crucial role in the growth and promotion of sports, and I am sure that the next two editions of the HBL Pakistan Super League will attract even more eye balls, with the ease of access to the action. I congratulate and thank Daraz for their trust in the HBL PSL.”

Daraz Chief Marketing Officer Ammar Hassan: “We are proud to have made the highest offer to acquire the digital streaming rights for HBL Pakistan Super League 2022-23. We want to be the number one digital platform of Pakistan. With more than 25-million plus monthly active users, Daraz wants to bring democracy of entertainment and shopping to rest of digital population of Pakistan.

“Whole of Pakistan will be able to stream the matches on Daraz App for free and enjoy great prices on 20million-plus products. HBL PSL is the flagship brand for Pakistan cricket and we want to take it to the next level giving it nationwide availability.”

The seventh edition of HBL Pakistan Super League will kick off at Karachi’s National Stadium on 27 January when defending champions Multan Sultans play 2020 edition’s winners Karachi Kings. The event will conclude in Lahore on 27 February with the final at Gaddafi Stadium, Pakistan’s home of cricket.

 

[Savak]

Lahore, 24 December 2021:

Daraz on Friday submitted the highest bid, pursuant to a public tender process, to live-stream HBL Pakistan Super League 2022 and 2023 in Pakistan, which sees a walloping increase of 175 per cent from the value for the last two years.

The live-streaming bid submission comes a day after the TV rights bid submitted by the consortium of ARY and PTV at 50 per cent more than the last two years’ broadcast rights value, to showcase the seventh and eighth editions of the HBL PSL in Pakistan.

PCB Acting Chief Executive Salman Naseer: “The growing interest of the bidders and the exponential increase in their offerings is a testimony to how big the brand of HBL Pakistan Super League has become.

“In today’s digital age, live-streaming plays a crucial role in the growth and promotion of sports, and I am sure that the next two editions of the HBL Pakistan Super League will attract even more eye balls, with the ease of access to the action. I congratulate and thank Daraz for their trust in the HBL PSL.”

Daraz Chief Marketing Officer Ammar Hassan: “We are proud to have made the highest offer to acquire the digital streaming rights for HBL Pakistan Super League 2022-23. We want to be the number one digital platform of Pakistan. With more than 25-million plus monthly active users, Daraz wants to bring democracy of entertainment and shopping to rest of digital population of Pakistan.

“Whole of Pakistan will be able to stream the matches on Daraz App for free and enjoy great prices on 20million-plus products. HBL PSL is the flagship brand for Pakistan cricket and we want to take it to the next level giving it nationwide availability.”

The seventh edition of HBL Pakistan Super League will kick off at Karachi’s National Stadium on 27 January when defending champions Multan Sultans play 2020 edition’s winners Karachi Kings. The event will conclude in Lahore on 27 February with the final at Gaddafi Stadium, Pakistan’s home of cricket.

That should work out to $15-16 million for the digital streaming rights for the next two years.

So that works out to $12 million for the domestic broadcasting rights per annum. $6 million for global broadcasting rights per annum. $7.5-8 million for the digital broadcasting rights per annum. $5.55 million for the title sponsorship amount per annum.

This is approximately $32 million per annum ie $30.4 m (95% share) to be distributed among Franchises. This means around $5 million per Franchise. Will these franchises still complain about losses?

 

[Angrez Pakistani]

That should work out to $15-16 million for the digital streaming rights for the next two years.

So that works out to $12 million for the domestic broadcasting rights per annum. $6 million for global broadcasting rights per annum. $7.5-8 million for the digital broadcasting rights per annum. $5.55 million for the title sponsorship amount per annum.

This is approximately $32 million per annum ie $30.4 m (95% share) to be distributed among Franchises. This means around $5 million per Franchise. Will these franchises still complain about losses?

They’ll complain about losses for the next 5 years at the very least. This league has ZERO financial transparency.

 

[shah_1]

That should work out to $15-16 million for the digital streaming rights for the next two years.

So that works out to $12 million for the domestic broadcasting rights per annum. $6 million for global broadcasting rights per annum. $7.5-8 million for the digital broadcasting rights per annum. $5.55 million for the title sponsorship amount per annum.

This is approximately $32 million per annum ie $30.4 m (95% share) to be distributed among Franchises. This means around $5 million per Franchise. Will these franchises still complain about losses?

Overall PCB should target to make $100 million per year(overall), in which there is no annual money taken from owners, 50% shared between PCB and franchises. PSL is not making enough money here

 

[U$ofA]

Overall PCB should target to make $100 million per year(overall), in which there is no annual money taken from owners, 50% shared between PCB and franchises. PSL is not making enough money here

Enough? The PCB is not even getting the crumbs. At 95% the franchises are swallowing the entire loaf, leaving nothing for the PCB. There is no financial benefit for the PCB from PSL.

 

[shah_1]

Enough? The PCB is not even getting the crumbs. At 95% the franchises are swallowing the entire loaf, leaving nothing for the PCB. There is no financial benefit for the PCB from PSL.

PCB takes $15 million from PSL owners

 

[Savak]

PCB takes $15 million from PSL owners

PSL revenues are pretty much stagnant. There is no real incentive on either party to improve the product.

Franchises are not really spending or developing the brand of their franchises because they feel they don't get enough ROI, they don't want to pay higher Franchise Fees to the PCB

 

[MenInG]

So it seems GEO/Jang etc not happy with this deal.

==

https://www.transparency.org/en/about

Transparency International Pakistan (TIP) has asked the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to act on a complaint regarding broadcasting rights of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) to a consortium of ARY and PTV.

In a letter sent to the PCB, TIP said it had received a complaint regarding the rights granted for broadcasting PSL for the years 2022 and 2023 to the ARY-PTV consortium.

The complainant has written to TIP that granting broadcasting rights of PSL 2022 and 2023 to PTV and ARY consortium is a violation of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA), 2004 rules.

The letter states that Geo Super had bid Rs3.74 billion for two years alone, while PTV and ARY consortium had bid Rs 2.1 billion for one year. The complainant wrote if PCB had to approve the bid of the consortium, then it should have been Rs4.2 billion for two years but upon re-bidding, PCB approved the bid of the consortium for 2 years of Rs 4.35 billion.

Meanwhile, Transparency International Pakistan, in the letter to the PCB, expressed surprise that despite the experience of 65 years of sports broadcasting, "why did PTV did not bid individually for broadcasting rights of PSL?"

 

[Bewal Express]

So it seems GEO/Jang etc not happy with this deal.

==

https://www.transparency.org/en/about

Transparency International Pakistan (TIP) has asked the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to act on a complaint regarding broadcasting rights of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) to a consortium of ARY and PTV.

In a letter sent to the PCB, TIP said it had received a complaint regarding the rights granted for broadcasting PSL for the years 2022 and 2023 to the ARY-PTV consortium.

The complainant has written to TIP that granting broadcasting rights of PSL 2022 and 2023 to PTV and ARY consortium is a violation of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA), 2004 rules.

The letter states that Geo Super had bid Rs3.74 billion for two years alone, while PTV and ARY consortium had bid Rs 2.1 billion for one year. The complainant wrote if PCB had to approve the bid of the consortium, then it should have been Rs4.2 billion for two years but upon re-bidding, PCB approved the bid of the consortium for 2 years of Rs 4.35 billion.

Meanwhile, Transparency International Pakistan, in the letter to the PCB, expressed surprise that despite the experience of 65 years of sports broadcasting, "why did PTV did not bid individually for broadcasting rights of PSL?"

View attachment 113913

The PCB should be clear and transparent. But Geo is funded by the Nooras with taxpayers money.

 

[Saj]

The PCB should be clear and transparent. But Geo is funded by the Nooras with taxpayers money.

If the above report is accurate then there are some odd numbers and the process seems a little strange.

 

[Savak]

Don't see what the problem is, ARY and PTV bid 4.35 billion for two years, Geo bid 3.74 billion for 2 years. The side which bids the highest gets the deal which is ARY and PTV, what is the problem here?

 

[Bewal Express]

If the above report is accurate then there are some odd numbers and the process seems a little strange.

I wouldn't trust anything Geo says but nonetheless we need open bidding to maximise income.

 

[Bewal Express]

Don't see what the problem is, ARY and PTV bid 4.35 billion for two years, Geo bid 3.74 billion for 2 years. The side which bids the highest gets the deal which is ARY and PTV, what is the problem here?

It's a bit confusing as to what Geo are complaining about. Maybe they still think Maryam can help them to swing it there way.

 

[Savak]

It's a bit confusing as to what Geo are complaining about. Maybe they still think Maryam can help them to swing it there way.

I think they are complaining why ARY and PTV were allowed to bid jointly

 

[Bewal Express]

I think they are complaining why ARY and PTV were allowed to bid jointly

Oh I see. Why would that be a problem? MSR needs to spend the billions Maryam gave for favourable political coverage and win the rights. And its interesting that TIP is involved. If you look at its head, Gilanis twitter posts, you come away with the impression that this is just a mafia pressure group using Transparency International name as a front.

 

[Savak]

Oh I see. Why would that be a problem? MSR needs to spend the billions Maryam gave for favourable political coverage and win the rights. And its interesting that TIP is involved. If you look at its head, Gilanis twitter posts, you come away with the impression that this is just a mafia pressure group using Transparency International name as a front.

ARY and PTV made a joint bid for the T20 WC. Geo didn't have any objections then

 

[Last Monetarist]

Geo are complaining about collusion between PTV and ARY, and linking it to a violation of procurement law as PTV is owned and operated by the state. Any formulation of commercial joint ventures by entities affiliated with the state should be subject to public procurement laws (PPRA), and subject to competitive bidding unless exempt under law.

The other allegation with respect to the PTV-ARY bid seems to be that it was non-compliant in terms of the RFP floated by the PCB, the financial proposal should have been rejected as it was not clear that the bid amount quoted in the proposal (PKR 2.1 billion) was for two years or an annual figure. The PCB then requested the PTV-ARY consortium to provide an updated bid after the proposals had been opened, which is a clear violation of PPRA rules by the PCB.

At face value, Geo's complaints seem to hold merit and the bidding process will be rejected in court. I'd be honestly staggered if there wasn't collusion in this instance between the PCB and the PTV-ARY JV.

 

[MenInG]

Leave the politics out of this thread. TPS forum is meant for that.

Lets only discuss the merits of the argument by GEO etc and leave at that.

 

[MenInG]

PCB explains process for awarding TV broadcast rights for HBL PSL 2022 and 2023

Lahore, 28 December 2021:

The Pakistan Cricket Board, for the better and clear understanding of its stakeholders, fans and supporters, explains the transparent and merit-based bidding process that was followed for awarding the Pakistan region PSL TV Broadcast media rights for 2022-2023 on Thursday, 23 December 2021.

The process and facts are:

- A public tender advertisement, inviting bids for PSL TV Broadcast media rights for 2022-2023 was published on 1 December in two leading local newspapers. Last date for submission of technical and financial proposals was 23 December with technically qualified bidders required to submit financial proposals specifying their aggregate offer for a period of two years (2022 and 2023).

- Bids were received from Independent Media Corporation Pvt. Ltd (IMC – the parent company of GEO Entertainment Television Pvt Ltd) and a consortium comprising ARY Communications (Pvt) Limited (ARY) / Pakistan Television Corporation Limited (PTVC).

- Just before announcement of the Reserve Price set by the PCB, the IMC representative raised a concern, asking the PCB what process PTVC, as a state broadcaster, had followed to align itself with ARY. The PCB advised that this query was better directed towards the PTVC who would be best placed to respond.

- Bidders were asked if there were any further concerns or objections before the PCB announced the Reserve Price and then opened the sealed financial proposals. No further concerns were raised and both bidders agreed for the bidding process to continue.

- After which, the PCB announced the Reserve Price of PKR3.584billion for two years in the presence of both the bidders.

- Before the financial proposals could be opened, the representative of ARY/PTVC stated that their financial offer as contained in the earlier submitted Financial Proposal document was for one year and requested that its value should be considered doubled. The PCB informed the ARY/PTVC representative that a verbal request made at this belated stage could not be entertained in order to modify the contents of the sealed financial proposal. Hence, the request was declined and this decision was accepted by the bidders.

- The financial proposals of the bidders were opened and revealed the following:

• Aggregate rights fee - IMC = PKR3,360,000,000
• Aggregate rights fee – ARY/PTVC = PKR2,108,786,786
- Thus, neither bidder met the Reserve Price of PKR3.584billion set by the PCB.

- As per the pre-determined process set out in the bid document, both bidders were afforded another opportunity to meet or exceed the Reserve Price by submitting sealed revised financial proposals within the stipulated deadline of one hour. Thereafter, the PCB would open the revised financial offers and award the rights to the highest bidder who had exceeded the Reserve Price.

- The revised financial offers were opened in the presence of both bidders and upon evaluation, both exceeded the Reserve Price as follows:

• Aggregate rights fee - IMC = PKR3,740,000,000
• Aggregate rights fee – ARY/PTVC = PKR4,350,786,786
- Accordingly, the PCB Bid Committee announced that it would recommend award of the rights to ARY/PTVC

- The Bid Evaluation Report for the PSL TV Broadcast media rights for 2022-2023 (for Pakistan region only) was made available on the PCB Corporate Website on 23 December and is available under Documents/Reports.

- At all times, the pre-defined process in the Bid Document was adhered to.

- PCB’s Grievance Redressal Committee is the appropriate platform to raise any post-bidding concerns and objections. To date, the PCB has not received any complaint from either bidding entity.

 

[Bewal Express]

PCB explains process for awarding TV broadcast rights for HBL PSL 2022 and 2023

Lahore, 28 December 2021:

The Pakistan Cricket Board, for the better and clear understanding of its stakeholders, fans and supporters, explains the transparent and merit-based bidding process that was followed for awarding the Pakistan region PSL TV Broadcast media rights for 2022-2023 on Thursday, 23 December 2021.

The process and facts are:

- A public tender advertisement, inviting bids for PSL TV Broadcast media rights for 2022-2023 was published on 1 December in two leading local newspapers. Last date for submission of technical and financial proposals was 23 December with technically qualified bidders required to submit financial proposals specifying their aggregate offer for a period of two years (2022 and 2023).

- Bids were received from Independent Media Corporation Pvt. Ltd (IMC – the parent company of GEO Entertainment Television Pvt Ltd) and a consortium comprising ARY Communications (Pvt) Limited (ARY) / Pakistan Television Corporation Limited (PTVC).

- Just before announcement of the Reserve Price set by the PCB, the IMC representative raised a concern, asking the PCB what process PTVC, as a state broadcaster, had followed to align itself with ARY. The PCB advised that this query was better directed towards the PTVC who would be best placed to respond.

- Bidders were asked if there were any further concerns or objections before the PCB announced the Reserve Price and then opened the sealed financial proposals. No further concerns were raised and both bidders agreed for the bidding process to continue.

- After which, the PCB announced the Reserve Price of PKR3.584billion for two years in the presence of both the bidders.

- Before the financial proposals could be opened, the representative of ARY/PTVC stated that their financial offer as contained in the earlier submitted Financial Proposal document was for one year and requested that its value should be considered doubled. The PCB informed the ARY/PTVC representative that a verbal request made at this belated stage could not be entertained in order to modify the contents of the sealed financial proposal. Hence, the request was declined and this decision was accepted by the bidders.

- The financial proposals of the bidders were opened and revealed the following:

• Aggregate rights fee - IMC = PKR3,360,000,000
• Aggregate rights fee – ARY/PTVC = PKR2,108,786,786
- Thus, neither bidder met the Reserve Price of PKR3.584billion set by the PCB.

- As per the pre-determined process set out in the bid document, both bidders were afforded another opportunity to meet or exceed the Reserve Price by submitting sealed revised financial proposals within the stipulated deadline of one hour. Thereafter, the PCB would open the revised financial offers and award the rights to the highest bidder who had exceeded the Reserve Price.

- The revised financial offers were opened in the presence of both bidders and upon evaluation, both exceeded the Reserve Price as follows:

• Aggregate rights fee - IMC = PKR3,740,000,000
• Aggregate rights fee – ARY/PTVC = PKR4,350,786,786
- Accordingly, the PCB Bid Committee announced that it would recommend award of the rights to ARY/PTVC

- The Bid Evaluation Report for the PSL TV Broadcast media rights for 2022-2023 (for Pakistan region only) was made available on the PCB Corporate Website on 23 December and is available under Documents/Reports.

- At all times, the pre-defined process in the Bid Document was adhered to.

- PCB’s Grievance Redressal Committee is the appropriate platform to raise any post-bidding concerns and objections. To date, the PCB has not received any complaint from either bidding entity.

Let's see where this goes- it looks the Geo group are annoyed at the alliance between PTV and ARY.

 

[Savak]

Did PTV-ARY Consortium Violate Court Order for PSL Broadcast Rights?

By Rizvi Syed

Published Dec 28, 2021 | 1:40 pm

Last week, a consortium of Pakistan Television Network (PTV) and ARY won broadcasting rights of the seventh and the eighth editions of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) after placing the highest bid of $24 million (Rs. 4.35 billion).

It was a landmark deal for Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as it saw an increase of 50 percent from the last cycle.

As exciting as the development was, it was marred by controversy when a media group raised questions over the bidding process and the partnership between PTV and ARY.

On Monday, Transparency International Pakistan also wrote a letter to the PCB saying it had “received a complaint on the allegation of violation of PPRA Rules 2004, in the award of contract of Media Rights for PSL 2022 and 2023 by PCB and by PTV, to PTV-ARY consortium.”

The allegations questioned not only the integrity of the PCB as an organization but also the transparency of the PTV’s operations. Let’s have a look at all the claims and whether the consortium violated any rules:

Claim 1: Non-Transparent Bidding Process

The News, which is part of the Jang and Geo group, claimed on Friday that they had placed a higher bid in the first phase of the process. However, the PCB authorities ordered rebidding after ARY claimed that their bid was meant for only one year.

The TI Pakistan letter also questioned the PCB’s move saying that clause 1.3 of the bids document had explicitly mentioned that the bids were invited for two years, then why was the rebidding ordered on ARY’s claim.

“This act of the PTV-ARY consortium is also a blatant violation of PPRA Rule nos. 30 (3) and 31 (1) and (2), as bidders PTV-ARY consortium, cannot change its tendered prices after the opening of bids,” the letter said.

The bids document further said that if the reserve price is met or exceeded, the highest bidder shall be awarded the broadcasting rights.

“But PCB defied this preannounced process and did not award the contract to the highest bidder,” it claimed.

Fact: A PCB official who was directly involved in the process told Propakistani that the re-bidding was ordered because none of the bidders had met with the reserve price, which according to the source, was Rs. 3.64 billion.

“It was a transparent process and since the reserve price was not met in the first phase, re-bidding was done,” the source said, adding that Geo Super had quoted Rs. 3.36 billion for two years, while the PTV-ARY consortium had quoted Rs. 2.1 billion.

The source also rejected the claim that Geo Super had raised objections to the process.

“Both parties were given an additional one hour to submit revised bids as they failed to meet the reserved price. Both bidders submitted their bids in sealed envelopes that were open in their presence. During the process, one party out-bid the other, and no party raised any question.”

Claim 2: Favoritism by PTV

The News also claimed that the state-run television had violated a court’s order by entering in partnership with ARY without a public bidding process.

“The state-run television PTV has entered into a partnership with ARY without any competition or inviting bids, which is not only a violation of the LHC verdict but also a perfect example of favoritism. Both the parties partnered for the PSL bids in a non-transparent manner,” The News reported hours after the completion of the bidding process.

The TI Pakistan letter also raised similar objections, saying:

“Why PTV did not bid independently. Who ordered PTV to make a consortium with ARY A Sports? Why PTV has not invited Open Tenders and without competitive bidding, made JV with ARY? This nexus between PTV and ARY A Sports is unholy collusion and is also a violation of PPRA Rules.”

Fact: We spoke to our sources in PTV and PTV Sports and they clarified that the PTV had invited proposals for a public-private partnership in August 2021:

Claim 3: Violation of Court’s Orders

The media group also claimed that PTV violated a 2011 order of the Lahore High Court (LHC) that barred the state entity from concluding any contract unless it was based on a transparent and competitive bidding process.

“However, the state-run TV in a non-transparent manner formed a consortium to bid for the rights despite a strong protest of the other bidder, Geo Super,” the website claimed.

Fact: The source told us that it was a legal process that followed the court’s order in its true letter and spirit.

“Bid was open for all. No violation in it, proper legal process, as evident from the document shared above,” it added.

More FactsThe PTV-ARY consortium won the broadcast rights for PSL 7 and 8 by placing the highest bid of Rs. 4.35 billion for two years.Geo Super entered the race with an offer of Rs. 3.7 billion, the second-highest bid.PCB will take another 15 days to award a contract to the winning party. During this time, its grievances committee will look to address the grievances of other parties, if any.At the time of filing this story, the cricket board had not received any official complaint from Geo Super, or any other party.

In light of the above facts, it can be said that all allegations are incorrect.

https://propakistani.pk/2021/12/28/...violate-court-order-for-psl-broadcast-rights/

 

[Bewal Express]

Did PTV-ARY Consortium Violate Court Order for PSL Broadcast Rights?

By Rizvi Syed

Published Dec 28, 2021 | 1:40 pm

Last week, a consortium of Pakistan Television Network (PTV) and ARY won broadcasting rights of the seventh and the eighth editions of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) after placing the highest bid of $24 million (Rs. 4.35 billion).

It was a landmark deal for Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as it saw an increase of 50 percent from the last cycle.

As exciting as the development was, it was marred by controversy when a media group raised questions over the bidding process and the partnership between PTV and ARY.

On Monday, Transparency International Pakistan also wrote a letter to the PCB saying it had “received a complaint on the allegation of violation of PPRA Rules 2004, in the award of contract of Media Rights for PSL 2022 and 2023 by PCB and by PTV, to PTV-ARY consortium.”

The allegations questioned not only the integrity of the PCB as an organization but also the transparency of the PTV’s operations. Let’s have a look at all the claims and whether the consortium violated any rules:

Claim 1: Non-Transparent Bidding Process

The News, which is part of the Jang and Geo group, claimed on Friday that they had placed a higher bid in the first phase of the process. However, the PCB authorities ordered rebidding after ARY claimed that their bid was meant for only one year.

The TI Pakistan letter also questioned the PCB’s move saying that clause 1.3 of the bids document had explicitly mentioned that the bids were invited for two years, then why was the rebidding ordered on ARY’s claim.

“This act of the PTV-ARY consortium is also a blatant violation of PPRA Rule nos. 30 (3) and 31 (1) and (2), as bidders PTV-ARY consortium, cannot change its tendered prices after the opening of bids,” the letter said.

The bids document further said that if the reserve price is met or exceeded, the highest bidder shall be awarded the broadcasting rights.

“But PCB defied this preannounced process and did not award the contract to the highest bidder,” it claimed.

Fact: A PCB official who was directly involved in the process told Propakistani that the re-bidding was ordered because none of the bidders had met with the reserve price, which according to the source, was Rs. 3.64 billion.

“It was a transparent process and since the reserve price was not met in the first phase, re-bidding was done,” the source said, adding that Geo Super had quoted Rs. 3.36 billion for two years, while the PTV-ARY consortium had quoted Rs. 2.1 billion.

The source also rejected the claim that Geo Super had raised objections to the process.

“Both parties were given an additional one hour to submit revised bids as they failed to meet the reserved price. Both bidders submitted their bids in sealed envelopes that were open in their presence. During the process, one party out-bid the other, and no party raised any question.”

Claim 2: Favoritism by PTV

The News also claimed that the state-run television had violated a court’s order by entering in partnership with ARY without a public bidding process.

“The state-run television PTV has entered into a partnership with ARY without any competition or inviting bids, which is not only a violation of the LHC verdict but also a perfect example of favoritism. Both the parties partnered for the PSL bids in a non-transparent manner,” The News reported hours after the completion of the bidding process.

The TI Pakistan letter also raised similar objections, saying:

“Why PTV did not bid independently. Who ordered PTV to make a consortium with ARY A Sports? Why PTV has not invited Open Tenders and without competitive bidding, made JV with ARY? This nexus between PTV and ARY A Sports is unholy collusion and is also a violation of PPRA Rules.”

Fact: We spoke to our sources in PTV and PTV Sports and they clarified that the PTV had invited proposals for a public-private partnership in August 2021:

Claim 3: Violation of Court’s Orders

The media group also claimed that PTV violated a 2011 order of the Lahore High Court (LHC) that barred the state entity from concluding any contract unless it was based on a transparent and competitive bidding process.

“However, the state-run TV in a non-transparent manner formed a consortium to bid for the rights despite a strong protest of the other bidder, Geo Super,” the website claimed.

Fact: The source told us that it was a legal process that followed the court’s order in its true letter and spirit.

“Bid was open for all. No violation in it, proper legal process, as evident from the document shared above,” it added.

More FactsThe PTV-ARY consortium won the broadcast rights for PSL 7 and 8 by placing the highest bid of Rs. 4.35 billion for two years.Geo Super entered the race with an offer of Rs. 3.7 billion, the second-highest bid.PCB will take another 15 days to award a contract to the winning party. During this time, its grievances committee will look to address the grievances of other parties, if any.At the time of filing this story, the cricket board had not received any official complaint from Geo Super, or any other party.

In light of the above facts, it can be said that all allegations are incorrect.

https://propakistani.pk/2021/12/28/...violate-court-order-for-psl-broadcast-rights/

As I said Geo seems to be very angry and the PCB better have its process watertight. If it goes to court then we know who controls judges in PK.

 

[James]

PT Profit:

<b>What in the world happened with the PSL media rights bid?</b>

<I>The bidding table drama between Geo and ARY has spilled out into a battle being waged in the news media.</I>

On the 23rd of December, Geo and ARY found themselves sitting across a table with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in the middle. A tense struggle was underway between both sides to get the media rights to the next two editions of the wildly popular Pakistan Super League (PSL) – the PCB’s most prized product worth an estimated $300 million.

Both sides had everything to play for. Geo’s sports channel Geo Super has been in broadcasting wilderness for years now, finding itself unable to capture media rights for cricket series and tournaments. Meanwhile ARY’s freshly launched high-definition sports channel, A-Sports, was looking to make it big and capitalise after a successful broadcasting run with the recently concluded ICC T20 World Cup.

Normally, it would have been a simple matter of which side made the bigger bid, except on this occasion, ARY came to the table with a card up their sleeve – Pakistan Television (PTV). ARY did not come to the bidding table on their own, but rather came as part of a consortium between itself and PTV Sports.

This has since become a bitter bone of contention. The result of the bid is currently public knowledge. Geo Sports lost out to the consortium of PTV and ARY, which secured the media rights for the PSL from 2022-23 at a price of nearly Rs 4.5 billion. In the aftermath, Geo Sports has, backed by the entire Jang group, cried foul and claimed that the consortium between ARY and PTV was illegal and promoted unfair practises.

What went down at the bidding table, and does Geo have a case? Geo is currently pointing towards a judgement of the LHC from 2011 claiming PTV Sports did not follow fair practice as a state run broadcaster. In response, the PCB has launched a detailed statement and PTV Sports director, Dr Nauman Niaz, has told Profit that the channel did approach other parties to form a consortium and got the best offer from A-Sports and went with it.

With Geo not backing down from its claims, it is worth looking at what went down on the bidding table, and whether or not there has been any foul play.

<b>What happened at the bid</b>

The bidding process itself is always tense. Put in two old rivals in the mix and the stakes are bound to flare. On the 1st of December, the PCB made a public tender announcement inviting bids for PSL TV Broadcast media rights for 2022-2023. By the 23rd of December, two different financial and technical proposals were received by the board. One was from Geo, and the other was from a consortium between ARY and PTV.

The consortium had been made well before the tender was announced by the PCB. PTV Sports knew that the media rights for the PSL were up for grabs and a tender would be announced, and well beforehand had been hitting the phones and looking for a media house to partner up with – which they found in the shape of ARY’s A-Sports. PTV Sports has told Profit that Geo was also approached to form a consortium.

On the day of the actual bid, on the 24th of December, both sides sat on the same table. The way the bid works is that both sides hand over their proposals in closed packets. After the packets have been handed over, the side receiving the bids, in this case the PCB, announces a reserve price – which is the price that the side receiving the bids is willing to get. Once this reserve price has been announced, the proposals are opened in front of everyone. If both bids are above the reserve price, then the higher bid automatically gets the contract. However, if both bids are below the reserve price, the bidders are asked to revise their bids and the higher bid in a second round of bidding gets the contract.

Say if the reserve price is Rs 50, and Side A’s bid turns out to be Rs 55 while Side B’s bid turns out to be Rs 58, then Side B will get the contract. In the same way, if only one side bids higher than the reserve price and the other does not even meet that, the side with the higher bid gets it. However, if both bids are below the reserve price then the bidders are asked to revise their offers. They then have the option of either going above the bid price or staying below. For example, if the reserve price is Rs 50, but the bid from Side A is Rs 45 and the bid from Side B is Rs 48, they will revise their offers. If Side A has a higher bid in this revised offer, they will get the contract.

In this case, however, right before the reserve price was announced, Geo and ARY were already in a Mexican stand-off. The representative from Geo, according to a PCB press release, “raised a concern, asking the PCB what process PTVC, as a state broadcaster, had followed to align itself with ARY. The PCB rightly advised that this query was better directed towards the PTVC who would be best placed to respond.”

Once the PCB made this clarification at the bidding table, they then asked if there were any further concerns or objections before the PCB announced the Reserve Price and then opened the sealed financial proposals. As per the PCB’s handout, “no further concerns were raised and both bidders agreed for the bidding process to continue.”

The PCB’s representative then announced that the reserve price was Rs 3.584 billion. Before the proposals that had been submitted could be opened, the representative from ARY/PTV said that they had mistakenly put in their bid number for one year, not two, and that their bid should be doubled after opening. The representative from Geo objected to this, and the PCB said that “a verbal request made at this belated stage could not be entertained in order to modify the contents of the sealed financial proposal. Hence, the request was declined and this decision was accepted by the bidders.”

When the proposals were opened, Geo had a higher proposal at Rs 3.36 billion, while the proposal by ARY/PTV was worth nearly Rs 2.2 billion. If the PTV/ARYs request to consider their sum is doubled had been accepted, they would have gotten the contract. However, since neither bid matched the PCB’s reserve price of Rs 3.584 billion, the two sides were asked to revise their bids. In the next round, Geo made a bid of Rs 3.74 billion, marginally raising their initial offer. The PTV/ARY representative on the other hand, went with their initial intention to double the amount and offered Rs 4.4 billion as a bid. The media rights were then awarded to the consortium between PTV and ARY, meaning the next two seasons of the PSL will now air on PTV Sports and A-Sports.

<b>Why is Geo crying foul?</b>

Geo was clearly taken aback by this. Wounded, they left the bidding table having lost but not given up. Since then, the entire Jang Group has been on a mission to explain that the bid was lost under unfair conditions. Their target, however, has not been the PCB but rather PTV. In a report published in The News International, it was said that the consortium was made in a clear violation of the Lahore High Court’s 2011 verdict.

The 2011 verdict had ordered that no contract could be concluded unless it was based on a transparent and competitive bidding process. “However, the state-run TV in a non-transparent manner formed a consortium to bid for the rights despite a strong protest of the other bidder Geo Super,” read the report.

Over the same issue, Transparency International Pakistan also wrote a letter to the PCB, saying that the consortium between PTV and ARY was a typical case of abuse of power and requested the Pakistan Cricket Board to examine the allegations and cancel the bid if the accusations were correct. “Why did PTV not bid independently? Who ordered PTV to form a consortium with ARY A Sports? Why has PTV not invited open tenders and without competitive bidding, made a JV with ARY? This nexus between PTV and ARY A Sports is an unholy collusion, and is also a violation of PPRA Rules,” the TIP letter says.

“The issue was brought up at the bidding table. Geo’s representative asked how the consortium between PTV and ARY had come about and the PCB representative told them that this was a question for PTV. They then agreed to move on with the auction, and when it didn’t go their way, they started a media campaign,” says Dr Nauman Niaz, who is the director of PTV’s sports channel. According to Dr Niaz, there is no need for PTV Sports to offer a tender for a partnership because it is a privately run business and thus does not need to follow the PPRA rules.



“Despite this we followed all of the procedures to pursue a public-private partnership through the competent authority. As a business entity, our job first and foremost is to make money and see how well we can do financially. And on that front we were more profitable going for an agreement with A-Sports.”

Dr Niaz also told Profit that they also approached Geo Super for the consortium, and that it fell through. “We approached all interested parties. We then took it to our risk management committee, and then finally to the board of directors for approval. There was nothing illegal about it and we will continue to back our agreement and we have made it very clear.”

According to the PTV/ARY consortium, they are yet to respond directly since Geo has not approached the PCB’s grievance committee or taken the matter to court, and have “only pursued a media campaign without rhyme or reason” , said another source close to ARY.



“Another factor in the entire situation is that the PCB is the only vendor. There are not multiple vendors out there for us to approach. Everyone is bidding with the PCB so there is no question of fairness here. Geo brought up their grievances at the bid and then both sides agreed to move forward. Why are they complaining now?”

The PCB in its statement has also said that if Geo is still upset and unhappy with how the bid went, the appropriate forum to take the issue is the board’s grievance cell. According to board sources, even after the press release was issued no move has been made by Geo to approach the grievance cell. There has also been no news of Geo approaching the courts to settle their complaint.

“The extraordinary interest and increase in the TV broadcast rights of the HBL Pakistan Super League underscores how popular the tournament has become despite being launched just six years ago,” PCB’s acting CEO Salman Naseer said. “I want to thank the consortium of ARY and PTV for valuing the biggest product of Pakistan cricket, which has become a source of inspiration for thousands of young children to take up the sport.”

 

[Bewal Express]

PT Profit:

<b>What in the world happened with the PSL media rights bid?</b>

<I>The bidding table drama between Geo and ARY has spilled out into a battle being waged in the news media.</I>

On the 23rd of December, Geo and ARY found themselves sitting across a table with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in the middle. A tense struggle was underway between both sides to get the media rights to the next two editions of the wildly popular Pakistan Super League (PSL) – the PCB’s most prized product worth an estimated $300 million.

Both sides had everything to play for. Geo’s sports channel Geo Super has been in broadcasting wilderness for years now, finding itself unable to capture media rights for cricket series and tournaments. Meanwhile ARY’s freshly launched high-definition sports channel, A-Sports, was looking to make it big and capitalise after a successful broadcasting run with the recently concluded ICC T20 World Cup.

Normally, it would have been a simple matter of which side made the bigger bid, except on this occasion, ARY came to the table with a card up their sleeve – Pakistan Television (PTV). ARY did not come to the bidding table on their own, but rather came as part of a consortium between itself and PTV Sports.

This has since become a bitter bone of contention. The result of the bid is currently public knowledge. Geo Sports lost out to the consortium of PTV and ARY, which secured the media rights for the PSL from 2022-23 at a price of nearly Rs 4.5 billion. In the aftermath, Geo Sports has, backed by the entire Jang group, cried foul and claimed that the consortium between ARY and PTV was illegal and promoted unfair practises.

What went down at the bidding table, and does Geo have a case? Geo is currently pointing towards a judgement of the LHC from 2011 claiming PTV Sports did not follow fair practice as a state run broadcaster. In response, the PCB has launched a detailed statement and PTV Sports director, Dr Nauman Niaz, has told Profit that the channel did approach other parties to form a consortium and got the best offer from A-Sports and went with it.

With Geo not backing down from its claims, it is worth looking at what went down on the bidding table, and whether or not there has been any foul play.

<b>What happened at the bid</b>

The bidding process itself is always tense. Put in two old rivals in the mix and the stakes are bound to flare. On the 1st of December, the PCB made a public tender announcement inviting bids for PSL TV Broadcast media rights for 2022-2023. By the 23rd of December, two different financial and technical proposals were received by the board. One was from Geo, and the other was from a consortium between ARY and PTV.

The consortium had been made well before the tender was announced by the PCB. PTV Sports knew that the media rights for the PSL were up for grabs and a tender would be announced, and well beforehand had been hitting the phones and looking for a media house to partner up with – which they found in the shape of ARY’s A-Sports. PTV Sports has told Profit that Geo was also approached to form a consortium.

On the day of the actual bid, on the 24th of December, both sides sat on the same table. The way the bid works is that both sides hand over their proposals in closed packets. After the packets have been handed over, the side receiving the bids, in this case the PCB, announces a reserve price – which is the price that the side receiving the bids is willing to get. Once this reserve price has been announced, the proposals are opened in front of everyone. If both bids are above the reserve price, then the higher bid automatically gets the contract. However, if both bids are below the reserve price, the bidders are asked to revise their bids and the higher bid in a second round of bidding gets the contract.

Say if the reserve price is Rs 50, and Side A’s bid turns out to be Rs 55 while Side B’s bid turns out to be Rs 58, then Side B will get the contract. In the same way, if only one side bids higher than the reserve price and the other does not even meet that, the side with the higher bid gets it. However, if both bids are below the reserve price then the bidders are asked to revise their offers. They then have the option of either going above the bid price or staying below. For example, if the reserve price is Rs 50, but the bid from Side A is Rs 45 and the bid from Side B is Rs 48, they will revise their offers. If Side A has a higher bid in this revised offer, they will get the contract.

In this case, however, right before the reserve price was announced, Geo and ARY were already in a Mexican stand-off. The representative from Geo, according to a PCB press release, “raised a concern, asking the PCB what process PTVC, as a state broadcaster, had followed to align itself with ARY. The PCB rightly advised that this query was better directed towards the PTVC who would be best placed to respond.”

Once the PCB made this clarification at the bidding table, they then asked if there were any further concerns or objections before the PCB announced the Reserve Price and then opened the sealed financial proposals. As per the PCB’s handout, “no further concerns were raised and both bidders agreed for the bidding process to continue.”

The PCB’s representative then announced that the reserve price was Rs 3.584 billion. Before the proposals that had been submitted could be opened, the representative from ARY/PTV said that they had mistakenly put in their bid number for one year, not two, and that their bid should be doubled after opening. The representative from Geo objected to this, and the PCB said that “a verbal request made at this belated stage could not be entertained in order to modify the contents of the sealed financial proposal. Hence, the request was declined and this decision was accepted by the bidders.”

When the proposals were opened, Geo had a higher proposal at Rs 3.36 billion, while the proposal by ARY/PTV was worth nearly Rs 2.2 billion. If the PTV/ARYs request to consider their sum is doubled had been accepted, they would have gotten the contract. However, since neither bid matched the PCB’s reserve price of Rs 3.584 billion, the two sides were asked to revise their bids. In the next round, Geo made a bid of Rs 3.74 billion, marginally raising their initial offer. The PTV/ARY representative on the other hand, went with their initial intention to double the amount and offered Rs 4.4 billion as a bid. The media rights were then awarded to the consortium between PTV and ARY, meaning the next two seasons of the PSL will now air on PTV Sports and A-Sports.

<b>Why is Geo crying foul?</b>

Geo was clearly taken aback by this. Wounded, they left the bidding table having lost but not given up. Since then, the entire Jang Group has been on a mission to explain that the bid was lost under unfair conditions. Their target, however, has not been the PCB but rather PTV. In a report published in The News International, it was said that the consortium was made in a clear violation of the Lahore High Court’s 2011 verdict.

The 2011 verdict had ordered that no contract could be concluded unless it was based on a transparent and competitive bidding process. “However, the state-run TV in a non-transparent manner formed a consortium to bid for the rights despite a strong protest of the other bidder Geo Super,” read the report.

Over the same issue, Transparency International Pakistan also wrote a letter to the PCB, saying that the consortium between PTV and ARY was a typical case of abuse of power and requested the Pakistan Cricket Board to examine the allegations and cancel the bid if the accusations were correct. “Why did PTV not bid independently? Who ordered PTV to form a consortium with ARY A Sports? Why has PTV not invited open tenders and without competitive bidding, made a JV with ARY? This nexus between PTV and ARY A Sports is an unholy collusion, and is also a violation of PPRA Rules,” the TIP letter says.

“The issue was brought up at the bidding table. Geo’s representative asked how the consortium between PTV and ARY had come about and the PCB representative told them that this was a question for PTV. They then agreed to move on with the auction, and when it didn’t go their way, they started a media campaign,” says Dr Nauman Niaz, who is the director of PTV’s sports channel. According to Dr Niaz, there is no need for PTV Sports to offer a tender for a partnership because it is a privately run business and thus does not need to follow the PPRA rules.



“Despite this we followed all of the procedures to pursue a public-private partnership through the competent authority. As a business entity, our job first and foremost is to make money and see how well we can do financially. And on that front we were more profitable going for an agreement with A-Sports.”

Dr Niaz also told Profit that they also approached Geo Super for the consortium, and that it fell through. “We approached all interested parties. We then took it to our risk management committee, and then finally to the board of directors for approval. There was nothing illegal about it and we will continue to back our agreement and we have made it very clear.”

According to the PTV/ARY consortium, they are yet to respond directly since Geo has not approached the PCB’s grievance committee or taken the matter to court, and have “only pursued a media campaign without rhyme or reason” , said another source close to ARY.



“Another factor in the entire situation is that the PCB is the only vendor. There are not multiple vendors out there for us to approach. Everyone is bidding with the PCB so there is no question of fairness here. Geo brought up their grievances at the bid and then both sides agreed to move forward. Why are they complaining now?”

The PCB in its statement has also said that if Geo is still upset and unhappy with how the bid went, the appropriate forum to take the issue is the board’s grievance cell. According to board sources, even after the press release was issued no move has been made by Geo to approach the grievance cell. There has also been no news of Geo approaching the courts to settle their complaint.

“The extraordinary interest and increase in the TV broadcast rights of the HBL Pakistan Super League underscores how popular the tournament has become despite being launched just six years ago,” PCB’s acting CEO Salman Naseer said. “I want to thank the consortium of ARY and PTV for valuing the biggest product of Pakistan cricket, which has become a source of inspiration for thousands of young children to take up the sport.”

Good and fair summation.

 

[MenInG]

Update on HBL PSL TV rights bid process

Lahore, 4 January 2022:

The Pakistan Cricket Board is pleased to note that honourable Justice Shahid Waheed today dismissed a petition submitted by Geo Entertainment Television Pvt Ltd in Lahore High Court against the bidding process for the TV broadcast rights of the HBL Pakistan Super League in Pakistan.

The Honourable Judge refused to give any relief on Geo’s petition after hearing the arguments from counsels, reviewing the bid documents and the media release issued by the Pakistan Cricket Board on 28 December 2021 explaining the bid process.

The consortium of ARY and PTV, on 23 December 2021, had submitted the highest bid exceeding the Reserve Price set by the PCB to broadcast HBL Pakistan Super League’s 2022 and 2023 editions in the country.

 

[Bewal Express]

Update on HBL PSL TV rights bid process

Lahore, 4 January 2022:

The Pakistan Cricket Board is pleased to note that honourable Justice Shahid Waheed today dismissed a petition submitted by Geo Entertainment Television Pvt Ltd in Lahore High Court against the bidding process for the TV broadcast rights of the HBL Pakistan Super League in Pakistan.

The Honourable Judge refused to give any relief on Geo’s petition after hearing the arguments from counsels, reviewing the bid documents and the media release issued by the Pakistan Cricket Board on 28 December 2021 explaining the bid process.

The consortium of ARY and PTV, on 23 December 2021, had submitted the highest bid exceeding the Reserve Price set by the PCB to broadcast HBL Pakistan Super League’s 2022 and 2023 editions in the country.

Geo couldnt even get relief from the LHC- their case must have been incredibly weak.

 

[MenInG]

ISLAMABAD: Chairman National Assembly Standing Committee on Inter-Provincial Coordination Nawab Sher Waseer and the committee members have questioned the formation of the PTV/ARY ‘illicit’ consortium resulting in a monopoly on the Pakistan Super League (PSL) media rights.

The committee chairman expressed his displeasure on such a consortium where all other leading channels were ignored just to please one particular blue-eyed one. Committee Member Iqbal Mohammad Ali also voiced concerns, terming such a patch-up a blunt joke. “How a state-owned TV goes hand in glove with a private channel. Why some of the leading local and international channels were ignored altogether. This is a blunt joke and should not go unnoticed,” Iqbal said.

Other members also expressed surprise over the state-owned TV’s role. They said: “We have not seen anything like this in the past where the state-owned TV picked a channel of its own choice and formed a consortium.”

Iqbal raised questions on the unsolved audit objections in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) audit report. “The PCB has failed to satisfy on audit objections. If things remain the same, we would have no other option but to send these unsolved paras to the FIA.”

The MNA blamed former PCB chief executive Wasim Khan for destroying the base of cricket in Pakistan. “He was the costliest CEO who was just here to destroy cricket. Wasim has damaged Pakistan cricket to the core.”

The PCB has yet to take the Standing Committee in confidence as to what circumstances led to his resignation. “We want to know as to why Wasim resigned and why Misbahul Haq and Waqar Younus resigned midway through their contract. What led to their resignations?”

thenews

 

[MenInG]

Seems Geo not letting this go...

==

LAHORE: State broadcaster Pakistan Television (PTV) has failed to submit details of its joint venture with ARY over the broadcasting rights of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) to the Lahore High Court (LHC) — despite the court’s order, The News reported

The LHC was hearing Thursday a Geo Super petition against the PTV-ARY joint venture on granting broadcasting rights of PSL. Though PCB, PTV and ARY submitted their replies to the court, the latter two did not give details of their deal.

Counsel for Geo Super Behzad Haider said that the PTV has not submitted bidding process documents in its reply despite the court’s order.

He said the petition was filed on January 4, and it was a fixed case, but surprisingly counsel for PCB, PTV, and ARY had appeared before the court without any notice and pleaded that the petition should be dismissed.

He said when the court was informed that no bidding process had been followed while granting broadcasting rights of PSL in the PTV-ARY agreement, counsel for the state broadcaster claimed it had transparently fulfilled all pre-requisites, and has documents to support its claim.

When the judge insisted that you have appeared without notice and where the documents are, the PTV counsel sought an hour to submit the bid, agreement venture, and other documents. At this, the judge gave two days to submit a reply along with the documents.

The Geo Super counsel further said he had filed a reply whose copy was given to PTV and ARY, but the state broadcaster did not submit its reply along with any document including the bidding process.

"They attached only two ads to the reply which are already attached to our application," he said.

"The ads are on pages 14 and 15, but PTV presented no documents despite the claim that it would present all documents showing transparency in the bidding process," the counsel said.

Haider added that when the hearing would be conducted on January 19, he would raise all the questions before the court. The counsel said he would adopt the stance that showing no documents points to their dishonesty.

 

[MenInG]

The 2022 and 2023 editions of the HBL Pakistan Super League will be available in High Definition on A Sports and PTV Sports in Pakistan after the Pakistan Cricket Board signed TV broadcast agreement with the local sport channels.

The consortium of ARY and PTV had submitted the highest bid at the aggregated fee of PKR4,350,786,786 – 50 per cent more than the last cycle – to secure the two-year-long home TV broadcast rights through a robust and transparent bidding process on 23 December.

PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja: “I want to congratulate ARY, PTV, the Pakistan Cricket Board and the franchises on this historic deal.

“HBL PSL has become a national identity and it attracts fans towards it. The fans have provided their unconditional support to the brand of HBL PSL as it is evident whenever matches take place with how they flock the stadia to support it. HBL PSL is not only popular amongst the fans in Pakistan but also in expats, and fans, from every walk of life, want to associate themselves with this league.

“It is an unprecedented moment as the price we have gotten for these rights is unmatched. This is a testimony to how big of a brand the HBL PSL has become and the fact that our national team has been on a roll has also contributed to it. This is truly a historic moment.

“Our national cricketers have now become household names, not only in Pakistan but at the international arena as well. I have always emphasised that the HBL PSL is an opportunity for our cricketers to grow as it presents them a platform to play with the foreign players, from whom they learn, and earn more.”

The seventh edition of the HBL PSL will be played between 27 January and 27 February in Karachi and Lahore. The action will begin at National Stadium, Karachi where the first 15 matches will take place. On 10 February, the league will move to Pakistan’s home of cricket, Gaddafi Stadium.

 

[IAJ]

Wich channel will broadcast it in Europe? Thanks in advance for your reply.

 

[Babeikh]

Am I missing something? They say the value increased by 50% but the reported value is exactly the same as the value in the last cycle. Is this just poor journalism or is there something I have no understood?

 

[GoUgandaCranes]

Wich channel will broadcast it in Europe? Thanks in advance for your reply.

Most likely the ICC app will have the entire PSL. I saw the Pak vs. Windies series on that, just cost about 4 dollars (37 Sek) for the entire series which unfortunately was curtailed to 3 T2OI's unfortunately.

 

[Savak]

Am I missing something? They say the value increased by 50% but the reported value is exactly the same as the value in the last cycle. Is this just poor journalism or is there something I have no understood?

It was $36 million for 3 years in the last cycle for both domestic, global and live streaming rights.

This time it is $24 million for 2 years just for domestic broadcast alone. Global, Live Streaming rights have been sold seperately.

 

[MenInG]

Am I missing something? They say the value increased by 50% but the reported value is exactly the same as the value in the last cycle. Is this just poor journalism or is there something I have no understood?

Its a press release from PCB.

 

[chinaman00]

It was $36 million for 3 years in the last cycle for both domestic, global and live streaming rights.

This time it is $24 million for 2 years just for domestic broadcast alone. Global, Live Streaming rights have been sold seperately.

So what is the total value of the deal for all markets combined (domestic, global, streaming, and live streaming)?

Why does the PCB continue to provide percentage increase instead of actual dollar value? Sounds awkward and fishy.

 

[MenInG]

KARACHI – Tapmad, Pakistan's leading on demand video streaming platform with High-Quality live streaming, is all set to live stream the matches of seventh season of Pakistan Super League, on its digital mediums without advertisements for its subscribers.

Tapmad has acquired the rights to digital broadcast in HD format from PCB in the recently held bid. Tapmad has been the digital streaming partner of PSL since its first season, and is known for its HD quality and smooth streaming throughout the season, making it as a preferred choice for viewers. To add more to it, this year, Tapmad is offering new users with one-week free trial to stream the HBL PSL 7 season, before having to pay the full subscription price.

Commenting on the occasion, Yassir Pasha CEO Tapmad, said “Tapmad is proud to be streaming PSL for the seventh consecutive year. Our subscribers will now be able to stream the entire HBL PSL 7 season live in HD and Ad Free exclusively on Tapmad. So now one can enjoy the PSL season anywhere, anytime, and through any device, be it on web, on phone, or on a Smart TV, in HD and Ad. In addition we have both, an iOS and an Android app, along with the option to cast the player from your mobile directly onto any Smart TV”

Pakistan is known as a predominantly cricket-obsessed country, and the nation fully embraces cricket like no other sport. The COVID-19 pandemic has made physically attending the matches difficult and the demand for online live-streaming has seen a significant rise. However, the HD streams come with the multitudes of advertisements, in addition to the internet speed and bandwidth limitations that results in constant buffering and poor quality of streaming;

https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/10-...ve-stream-psl-7-edition-for-it-s-cricket-fans

 

[MenInG]

Where is the business sense in this?

==

LAHORE: The CEO and President of ARY Digital Network, Mr. Salman Iqbal shared the reason to make a record bid for Pakistan Super League (PSL)’s Tv broadcast rights.

In a video message after PCB signed Tv broadcast rights deal with ARY-PTV, Mr. Salman said their goal was to support the only cricketing brand of Pakistan financially.

“We made record bid for PSL’s Tv broadcast rights because our collective plan was to support our brand financially. See, PSL is a festivity for cricket fans in the country so ARY and PTV came together to make this festival more exciting for them,” Mr. Salman said.

“Neither we nor PTV have any plans to earn money from it. To be honest, it was very tough to make such a high bid in current scenario where international market is suffering due to COVID-19. But as I said, we wanted to support PSL financially,” he added.

The owner of the most followed franchise of the PSL, Karachi Kings, thanked PCB, all other franchise owners, and fans for making this league bigger and better every passing year.

“PSL had restructured cricketing map in Pakistan. We hadn’t thought of this success seven years ago when this league was launched. Seven years to now, every single individual involved in it, deserves credit,” he said.

“I would like to thank our fans and PCB especially. Without their support, it wasn’t possible to come this far,” he concluded.

https://a-sports.tv/collective-effort-support-psl-mr-salman-iqbal/

 

[Anis10]

Where is the business sense in this?

==

LAHORE: The CEO and President of ARY Digital Network, Mr. Salman Iqbal shared the reason to make a record bid for Pakistan Super League (PSL)’s Tv broadcast rights.

In a video message after PCB signed Tv broadcast rights deal with ARY-PTV, Mr. Salman said their goal was to support the only cricketing brand of Pakistan financially.

“We made record bid for PSL’s Tv broadcast rights because our collective plan was to support our brand financially. See, PSL is a festivity for cricket fans in the country so ARY and PTV came together to make this festival more exciting for them,” Mr. Salman said.

“Neither we nor PTV have any plans to earn money from it. To be honest, it was very tough to make such a high bid in current scenario where international market is suffering due to COVID-19. But as I said, we wanted to support PSL financially,” he added.

The owner of the most followed franchise of the PSL, Karachi Kings, thanked PCB, all other franchise owners, and fans for making this league bigger and better every passing year.

“PSL had restructured cricketing map in Pakistan. We hadn’t thought of this success seven years ago when this league was launched. Seven years to now, every single individual involved in it, deserves credit,” he said.

“I would like to thank our fans and PCB especially. Without their support, it wasn’t possible to come this far,” he concluded.

https://a-sports.tv/collective-effort-support-psl-mr-salman-iqbal/

Then they should make the coverage ad free, considering they don’t plan on making any money from it.

 

[Savak]

Where is the business sense in this?

==

LAHORE: The CEO and President of ARY Digital Network, Mr. Salman Iqbal shared the reason to make a record bid for Pakistan Super League (PSL)’s Tv broadcast rights.

In a video message after PCB signed Tv broadcast rights deal with ARY-PTV, Mr. Salman said their goal was to support the only cricketing brand of Pakistan financially.

“We made record bid for PSL’s Tv broadcast rights because our collective plan was to support our brand financially. See, PSL is a festivity for cricket fans in the country so ARY and PTV came together to make this festival more exciting for them,” Mr. Salman said.

“Neither we nor PTV have any plans to earn money from it. To be honest, it was very tough to make such a high bid in current scenario where international market is suffering due to COVID-19. But as I said, we wanted to support PSL financially,” he added.

The owner of the most followed franchise of the PSL, Karachi Kings, thanked PCB, all other franchise owners, and fans for making this league bigger and better every passing year.

“PSL had restructured cricketing map in Pakistan. We hadn’t thought of this success seven years ago when this league was launched. Seven years to now, every single individual involved in it, deserves credit,” he said.

“I would like to thank our fans and PCB especially. Without their support, it wasn’t possible to come this far,” he concluded.

https://a-sports.tv/collective-effort-support-psl-mr-salman-iqbal/

There was no business sense in 2016 either, which is why no one bothered to take any initiative to help the country launch the league. But after 8 years of IPL and other leagues getting a head start, the PCB, businessmen realized the country desperately needed an international league to bring cricket back and to bring some confidence back to an isolated nation.

 

[Savak]

Then they should make the coverage ad free, considering they don’t plan on making any money from it.

Lol at people taking his words at face value. Do you really think someone will burn $24 million without making any money on his investment? Talk about naivity. Ofcourse PTV and ARY are going to make money on this.

 

[Major]

Then they should make the coverage ad free, considering they don’t plan on making any money from it.

Dont worry it will be free on daraz

 

[Major]

Where is the business sense in this?

==

LAHORE: The CEO and President of ARY Digital Network, Mr. Salman Iqbal shared the reason to make a record bid for Pakistan Super League (PSL)’s Tv broadcast rights.

In a video message after PCB signed Tv broadcast rights deal with ARY-PTV, Mr. Salman said their goal was to support the only cricketing brand of Pakistan financially.

“We made record bid for PSL’s Tv broadcast rights because our collective plan was to support our brand financially. See, PSL is a festivity for cricket fans in the country so ARY and PTV came together to make this festival more exciting for them,” Mr. Salman said.

“Neither we nor PTV have any plans to earn money from it. To be honest, it was very tough to make such a high bid in current scenario where international market is suffering due to COVID-19. But as I said, we wanted to support PSL financially,” he added.

The owner of the most followed franchise of the PSL, Karachi Kings, thanked PCB, all other franchise owners, and fans for making this league bigger and better every passing year.

“PSL had restructured cricketing map in Pakistan. We hadn’t thought of this success seven years ago when this league was launched. Seven years to now, every single individual involved in it, deserves credit,” he said.

“I would like to thank our fans and PCB especially. Without their support, it wasn’t possible to come this far,” he concluded.

https://a-sports.tv/collective-effort-support-psl-mr-salman-iqbal/

Depends with against whom they competted for the bids, and maybe they plan to profit from it in future.

Asports is still a new channel and is trying to build itself up. They will give their broadcasting rights to daraz and ten sports most likely and earn good money.

Im hoping A sports brings back the pavilion with a panel as good as last time.

 

[Savak]

Depends with against whom they competted for the bids, and maybe they plan to profit from it in future.

Asports is still a new channel and is trying to build itself up. They will give their broadcasting rights to daraz and ten sports most likely and earn good money.

Im hoping A sports brings back the pavilion with a panel as good as last time.

These tv channels make money from Advertisements and Commercials. I highly doubt their claims that they will not make money at all from this venture. No one throws $24 million down the pit for nothing.

Based on reports, PTV Sports will broadcast the PSL in Urdu while A-Sports will broadcast in English.

 

[MenInG]

Transparency International (TI) has accused the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) of many illegalities in the bidding process of broadcasting rights for the Pakistan Super League (PSL). Last month the PCB announced that they signed a two-year deal with ARY and PTV for $24mn.

In a letter to PCB’s chief executive officer, Transparency International pointed out quite a few loopholes in the process as they mentioned 6 irregularities which are violations of the rules of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA).

According to the letter, TI pointed out that the bidders need to submit Rs10 million pay order with technical proposals which ARY failed to do still their bid was accepted.

“The bidders under Bid Condition Section 3.3, sub-section H, were to submit with technical proposal Bid Security in the following manner: each bidder making a bid for Television Broadcasting Media Rights must provide security of Rupees Ten Million (Rs10,000,000). For bidders incorporated outside Pakistan, payment of bid security may be made in equivalent US dollars using the conversion rate for conversion of foreign currency deposits on the website of the State Bank of Pakistan three days prior to the Bid Submission Deadline.

“The bid security must be transferred to the designated account and evidence of the transfer must be provided with the technical proposal in the form of confirmation from the bidder’s banker confirming transfer to the designated account. Bidders incorporated in Pakistan may alternatively pay the bid security in Pakistani rupees through pay order submitted as part of their technical proposal,” The letter stated.

The letter also stated that there is a violation of PPRA Rule 35.

“In the ARY Case, a document is submitted in SHC which states ‘Evaluation Report’. This evaluation report shows the name of the procuring agency as ARY Communications (Private) Limited and Pakistan Television Corporation Ltd, and not the Pakistan Cricket Board. Who signed it is not known, as only the PCB stamp is affixed with some signatures.

“This appears to be a false evaluation report submitted in the SHC on behalf of Pakistan Cricket Board. The consortium agreement between Pakistan Television Corporation Ltd and ARY Communications Ltd submitted in SHC is an open agreement, as it does not include the date of execution. This undated consortium agreement is not as per law,” The letter added

The letter also pointed out the violation of PPRA Rule 7 and 47 in further points. Transparency International (TI) has urged PCB to look into the matter as soon as possible.

The seventh edition of PSL will begin on January 27 as the defending champions Multan Sultans will take on Karachi Kings at National Stadium, Karachi.

https://sportzwiki.com/news/transpa...irregularities-in-the-psl-broadcasting-rights

 

[CricketingMinds]

Thankfully the broadcasting quality, graphics, etc have improved A LOT finally. Good job PCB and A Sports

 

[MenInG]

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday barred Geo Super from broadcasting matches of Pakistan Super League 2023 (PSL-8), ARY News reported.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) made an agreement with Pakistan Television (PTV) and ARY News for the broadest of PSL 2023 matches.

The Sindh High Court announced the verdict on the plea of ARY News after Geo Super started broadcasting PSL 2023 matches.

ARY News’ counsel Barrister Ayan Memon said Geo Super offered a low bid for acquiring broadcast rights of PSL 2023 and the SHC gave a verdict after reviewing the agreement.

According to the verdict of SHC, Geo Super cannot broadcast matches of PSL season 8 without broadcast rights, Memon said.

He said it would not contempt of court if Geo Super continues to broadcast matches of PSL.

Commenting on the PTV-Geo Super agreement for PSL matches broadcast, Barrister Ayan Memon said the agreement was made without the consent of ARY News Network.

Yesterday, Pakistan Television (PTV), which owns the PSL broadcast rights, made an agreement with Geo Super for broadcasting PSL matches. The agreement was made after the Pakistan Cricket Board’s approval.

https://arynews.tv/psl-2023-shc-bars-geo-super-from-broadcast-of-matches/