Pakistan cricket is poised to finalize its most expensive media deal in history as a Pakistan Super League franchise prepares to offer 4.5 billion rupees annually for broadcasting rights.
The potential four-year agreement could reach PKR 18 billion, significantly boosting the PCB’s revenue as negotiations continue over television and live streaming rights for the upcoming PSL season.
Earlier, the PCB issued a tender for four-year media rights, attracting several parties, including two major sports channels, although one reportedly owes 4.07 billion rupees in pending dues.
The second channel owes over 600 million rupees, prompting the PCB to issue disqualification notices after both parties failed to meet their obligations despite extended deadlines.
Sources indicate the interested PSL franchise may submit a record-breaking bid of 4.5 billion rupees annually, potentially setting a new benchmark for media rights deals in Pakistan cricket.
Live streaming rights alone are expected to reach 7 billion rupees, creating the largest media agreement in the country’s cricket history and enabling the franchise to utilize state television networks for coverage.
This year, the league will expand with two additional teams, increasing the total number of matches from 34 to 44, raising production costs but also enhancing the commercial value of the media deal.
Tender regulations prevented consortia from participating to avoid collusion, with a mandatory bidding security of 100 million rupees for each bidder, refundable once the winning franchise is announced by the PCB.
Under the agreements, after production costs are covered, 3 billion rupees will be allocated, with $500,000 reserved for foreign player contracts, while 80 percent of revenues will go to the PCB.
Last year, production expenses exceeded 1 billion rupees, and the PSL’s eleventh edition is scheduled to begin on March 26, setting the stage for Pakistan cricket’s most lucrative media partnership to date.