State Broadcaster, Pakistan Television Corporation Limited (PTVC) and ARY Communications Ltd have joined forces in acquiring the domestic ICC media rights till 2023 from Star Network. This deal will include all the ICC events till 2023 in Pakistan. The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 will be aired on PTV Sports, Ten sports and ARY sports.
The rights will cover linear and digital broadcasts, including the ongoing Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 in the UAE and Oman which began on October 17, the finals will take place on November 14. The final ICC tournament included in this deal is the Men’s Cricket World Cup, which will be conducted in 2023.Â
It is believed to be a deal between three collaborating parties, PTV, ARY and GroupM, which is a media investment company owned by WPP. GroupM will be tasked to manage the flow of advertising revenues to the two broadcasters.
PTV and ARY have sublicensed the digital rights of the current T20 World Cup to Daraz, which is an Alibaba-owned e-commerce portal. Before this deal, PTV and Ten Sports jointly held ICC rights in Pakistan on a tournament basis.
Aamer Manzoor, Managing Director of PTV said, “We look forward to our partnership with GroupM and ARY to help expand the total outlay and to provide more visibility to the people of Pakistan, a sports-loving country where cricket is followed hysterically and with an unending passion.”
Salman Iqbal, Chief Executive Officer at ARY, added: “As a cricketing nation, the audience will greatly benefit from this collaboration. Our vision to see Pakistan grow stands firm and this is another step in the right direction.”
Though it has to be noted, this new deal is a sublicensing agreement between Star Network and Pakistani broadcasters. As Star holds global ICC media rights in a deal worth $2.1bn for a period of eight years, from 2015 to 2023.
Harry Griffith, Head of Syndication at Star Network, stated: “This is an exciting milestone for cricket fans in Pakistan, a country with such a rich cricketing heritage. We’re confident this association will broaden and enhance the viewership across the country.”