PSL 9 Broadcasting Rights: Awaiting the Next Frontier in Cricket Entertainment
PSL 9 Broadcasting Rights Auction: High Stakes and Growing Anticipation
The financial bid for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) broadcasting rights is set to kick off on Tuesday, adding excitement to the cricket entertainment landscape. Ahead of the bid, the decision on the reserve price looms, with sources indicating a reserve price range of 6 to 7 billion rupees for a two-year rights period.
This year, only companies with their sports channels or rights acquired from another channel have received PCB’s permission to participate in the bidding, narrowing the field to four channels in the running. The largest bidding entities stand to secure the broadcasting rights, with the PCB retaining the authority to reconsider or delay the process if the reserve price is not met.
In contrast to the previous contract valued at 2 billion rupees, the reserve price was increased to 3.7 billion rupees, and the two-year rights were eventually sold for 4.3 billion rupees. The PCB has pegged the media rights value at 6 billion rupees through the international company ‘Colganbauer’.
Insiders suggest that this time, the rights could fetch up to 6.5 billion rupees, surpassing the previous deal. Notably, 95% of this share will belong to PSL franchises, serving as a crucial revenue stream to counter potential losses due to the prohibition on surrogate advertising. However, franchises, despite their hopes, may see limited benefits in rupees due to the escalating value of the dollar, especially considering expenditures in dollars for players’ payments and production.
Interestingly, the cricket board has not linked PSL’s international rights with other cricket this time, reducing the likelihood of securing a higher amount. It’s important to note that the management committee, bound by government regulations, has obtained permission with difficulty to sell PSL rights and must seek approval before making any crucial decisions.
