PM witnesses Signing of Broadcasting Agreement between PTV and PCB

Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that recruiting people on personal recommendations while ignoring merit in institutions weakens the system.

According to the details, Prime Minister Imran Khan addressed a Domestic Cricket Broadcasting Agreement Signing ceremony in Islamabad.

While addressing the ceremony, Prime Minister Imran Khan said the signing of the Domestic Cricket Broadcasting Agreement between Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV) and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is a significant development.

Imran Khan in his address said the Broadcasting Rights Agreement will promote cricket. There is no other place in the world as talented as our country.

If we change the structure of cricket, no one can defeat us, said the Prime Minister.

In addition to this, Imran Khan said in the past, cricket administration has given space to like-minded people.

PCB signs Agreement

It should be known that PCB has signed a three-year broadcast deal with the state broadcaster Pakistan Television (PTV). The deal will see PTV broadcast all Pakistan’s home bilateral commitments as well as all domestic cricket.

The broadcasting arrangement is structured to provide for increasing revenues over the term of the cycle and PCB expects to earn in excess of US$200 million over the three-year term.

It marks a return of sorts for the broadcaster that played such a vital role in the growth of the sport with its broadcasts from the 1970s right up to the late 1990s.

Also Read

Did PCB offer Shoaib Akhtar new post of chief selector?

Many reports revealed that the Rawalpindi Express Shoaib Akhtar is not in...

In this case, the PCB and PTV will share revenues made from commercial rights for fixtures in the calendar: the PCB taking a 57.5% share and PTV 42.5%.

Global rights for Pakistan’s cricket will be sold separately. The PCB will keep production rights of the broadcast and bear its costs, and there is expected to be an Operations Committee on which members from both parties will sit overseeing broadcasts.

Under the arrangement, all Pakistan International Home Series of the Senior Cricket Team and the Women’s and Junior cricket teams will be broadcast live on PTV Sports. Also for the first time all the major Domestic tournaments, including the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, the National T-20 Cup, the One Day Pakistan Cup, and the National U-19 One-Day and National U-19 Three Day tournaments, will be broadcast live on PTV Sports and distributed across Pakistan on cable networks.

The supporting cable distribution agreement, unlike in the past, seeks to ensure that the broadcast content of PCB cricket is not redistributed without proper authorization which was one of the reasons for greatly diminishing the value of PCB content.

The matches will be produced by PCB directly to the highest international standards and will not be bulked as part of the broadcasting deal as was done in the past. PCB will ensure the broadcast and distribution of Pakistan cricket across the globe.

For the first time in almost three decades, the broadcasting rights of Pakistan Cricket in Pakistan have been granted exclusively to a Pakistani broadcaster and that too the national broadcaster.

This will maximize the opportunity for cricket fans in Pakistan to watch good competitive cricket almost throughout the year and follow the top cricketers and teams they support in the domestic season.

PCB plans to invest Rs15 billion over the next three years on Men and Women Domestic Cricket including upgrading of stadiums and infrastructure, building provincial academies and centers of excellence, employment of over 100 former cricketers as coaches and managers for the City Cricket Associations, restarting inter-university cricket, investment in grassroots cricket and improving players’ earning and welfare.

The broadcast deal also marks the launch of rebuilding PTV’s production and broadcast capabilities, with a conversion of PTV Sports to HD broadcast format already in the pipeline to be followed by the acquisition of not only international quality production equipment but also training of its staff during the production by PCB of cricket matches in Pakistan.

It also seeks to create the impetus to expedite the conversion of analog cable to digital cable in Pakistan which will go a long way in ensuring all cricket fans receive the highest quality and maximum quantity of cricket content on their television screens.

Prime Minister Imran Khan, witnessed the signing of agreements between the PCB, PTV, and cable operators regarding Pakistan Cricket Broadcast and Cable Distribution Rights at a ceremony held in the federal capital Islamabad.

Ehsan Mani Speaks to Ceremony

The Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board Ehsan Mani speaking at the occasion thanked the Patron for his unwavering support to PCB and the efforts of the Minister for Information Shibli Faraz and SAPM on Information Lt. General (Retd) Asim Bajwa not only for their support in getting the broadcasting arrangement finalized but their efforts in modernizing PTV Sports and its production capabilities as well as the digitalizing of cable networks.

Mani thanked the Chairman and Board of PTV and the MD PTV as well as the President l-Media Communication and Cable Association of Pakistan for their support and efforts in concluding the agreements.

The broadcast agreement is for Pakistan only while PCB will be soon finalizing the grant of its broadcast rights for international territories separately as well as launching a new structure for its digital media rights.