PCB to acquire media rights consulting services for 2020-23 cycle

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)’s five-year broadcasting deal, worth $149 million, with Ten Sports and PTV came to an end, earlier this year, with the Bangladesh series.

PCB had managed to secure the million-dollar deal largely because its international calendar for the last five years was marked with two home series against India. However, since these series did not take place due to the strained political relations between both the countries, $90 million were deducted from the deal.

According to sources, the board is not expecting the media rights deal for the next cycle (2020-2023) to be sold at a higher price. As a result, it is looking to hire the services of a media rights consultancy that will determine the value of the deal and also work directly with the broadcasters.

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Earlier, the board also released an advertisement to acquire the services of a media rights consultant. According to requirements stated in the advertisement, the consultancy company:

- Should be experienced in dealing with sponsorship deals

- Should have negotiated media rights for a sports organisation

- Should have worked with reputed organizations like FIFA, UEFA, ICC, English Premier League, Cricket Australia or some other national cricket association.

Very few Pakistani companies are able to meet all the above requirements.

The last date to submit a tender is May 14. The company with the successful bid is likely to be paid a fee of US $50,000.

Sources further revealed that the board is likely to hire an Australian company, ColganBauer, for the aforementioned service. Last year, a PCB official also met with its representative in Australia.

The board is also in contact with an International Cricket Council (ICC) official in this regard. However, since the ICC official is still employed with the cricket’s governing body, he will only be able to work from behind the scenes.

For a long time, PCB was earning approximately 40 per cent of its revenue from the media rights deal. Hence, if it is not able to strike a good deal, due to the Covid-19 crises, it poses a great threat to the board's financial stability.

It should be noted that current PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani was the head of the bid committee during the negotiation of board’s previous media contract, and the board didn’t acquire the services of any media rights consultant back then.