Pakistan Cricket Board to get $200m from new 3-year broadcast deal, PSL NOT included in it

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Wednesday signed a three-year broadcast deal worth a whopping USD $200 million with PTV Sports and a cable distribution agreement with I-Media Communication Services. The new Pakistan broadcast deal means that the PCB has brought an end to several years of association with the Sony Sports Network-owned Ten Sports, which was worth only $12 million a year for a period of five years from 2015-20.

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PCB sign USD $200 million deal with Pakistan-based sports channel

The PCB released a statement which said that the board on Wednesday signed a satellite broadcast deal for broadcast in Pakistan with PTV Sports and a further agreement to secure cable distribution with I-Media Communication Services. It added that the broadcasting arrangement is structured to provide for increasing revenues over the term of the cycle and PCB expects to earn in excess of USD $200 million over the three-year term.

According to the deal, the broadcast agreement is for Pakistan only while the PCB will soon zero in on the sell of its broadcast rights for international territories separately as well as launching a new structure for its digital media rights. Notably, the Pakistan Super League (PSL), which is the most popular T20 tournament in the country, isn't a part of the pact.

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The Ehsan Mani-led board further said that under the new broadcast deal 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. This will also be the first time that all the major domestic tournaments, including the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, the National T20 Cup, the One Day Pakistan Cup and the National U-19 One Day and National U-19 Three Day tournaments, will be broadcasted live on PTV Sports and distributed across Pakistan on cable networks.

The PCB said it will produce all the matches directly to the highest international standards and will ensure broadcast and distribution of Pakistan cricket across the globe. This is for the first time in almost three decades that the broadcasting rights of Pakistan's home international matches have been granted exclusively to a Pakistani broadcaster.

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PSL 2020 new schedule announced by the Ehsan Mani-led board

The Pakistan Super League 2020 (PSL 2020) season from earlier this year which got postponed by the PCB just before the knockout stages due to the ongoing coronavirus global pandemic is set to resume. The PCB recently announced the revised schedule for the remaining matches of the PSL 2020 competition. The matches will be held behind closed doors considering the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the situation will be analysed once again during October before taking the final call.

The remaining four playoffs matches of PSL 2020 will be played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on 14, 15 and 17 November as per the PCB's press release. According to the press release, the Qualifier and Eliminator 1 will be a double-header, whereas the Eliminator 2 is scheduled for the following day. The organizers of the PSL 2020 were also contemplating to conduct the remaining 4 matches in the UAE, much like the IPL 2020. However, they eventually ended up scheduling it in Pakistan itself. 

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IMAGE COURTESY: PAKISTAN CRICKET BOARD TWITTER