ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Wednesday that the media rights for the upcoming 2024 and 2025 editions of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) saw a “massive increase” when their bidding took place this week.
The PSL is Pakistan’s premium men’s T20 cricket franchise founded by the PCB in 2015. A mix of local and foreign players take part in every edition of the league, which features six teams, each named after a Pakistani city.
Over the years, the PSL has grown to become arguably Pakistan’s most popular sports brand and is compared with other international cricket leagues such as the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the Big Bash League (BBL).
The ninth edition of the PSL is set to kick off in February and will last till March 2024.
“HBL Pakistan Super League had yet another historic day on Tuesday, when its live-streaming and broadcast rights saw an increase of 113 and 45 percent for the 2024 and 2025 editions, respectively,” the PCB said in a statement.
The board said ARY Communications (Pvt) Limited submitted the highest bid, in response to a public tender process, to broadcast the 2024 and 2025 editions of the league in Pakistan.
It saw a “whopping increase” of 45 percent from the value for the last two years, the board added.
Bids were also received from the Independent Media Corporation Pvt. Ltd, the Pakistan Television Corporation Limited (PTVC) and Tower Sports (Ten Sports) to broadcast the PSL.
Pakistani influencer marketing platform Walee Technologies, meanwhile, won the highest bid to live-stream PSL 2024 and 2025 in Pakistan, which saw a huge increase of 113 percent from the value for the last two years, the PCB disclosed.
Other bids for live-streaming the league were received from the Consortium of ARY Communications (ARY, Myco, Daraz and Tamasha), TransGroup FZE, Independent Media Corporation Pvt. Ltd. (IMC) and Tower Sports (Ten Sports).
“HBL PSL is a huge brand and it has a massive fan following,” Zaka Ashraf, chairman of the PCB’s managing committee, said in a statement.
“It is an unprecedented moment as the prices for both of these rights are unmatched. This is a testament to the growth of the HBL PSL brand and we are all waiting for HBL PSL 9 to begin now.”
PCB announces ‘massive increase’ in premium cricket league’s media rights for 2024, 2025
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PCB announces ‘massive increase’ in premium cricket league’s media rights for 2024, 2025
- Pakistan Super League’s live-streaming, broadcast rights see increase of 113 and 45 percent respectively
- ARY Communications, Walee Technologies win rights to broadcast and live-stream league respectively
Pakistan reviews austerity measures amid Middle East crisis, urges strict nationwide implementation
- Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar chairs review meeting of austerity steps
- Officials briefed on salary cuts, school closures, four‑day week, petrol conservation
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s government on Wednesday assessed progress on a sweeping set of austerity measures introduced to mitigate the country’s economic strain from sharply rising global oil prices and supply disruptions linked to the ongoing war in the Middle East.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif this week announced a series of austerity steps, including a four‑day work week for government offices, requiring 50 percent of staff to work from home, cutting fuel allowances for official vehicles by half, grounding up to 60 percent of the government fleet and closing all schools for two weeks to conserve fuel amid the global oil crisis.
The measures were unveiled in response to global oil market volatility triggered by the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran, which has disrupted supply routes such as the Strait of Hormuz and pushed crude prices sharply higher, straining Pakistan’s heavily import‑dependent energy sector.
“The meeting stressed the importance of strict and transparent adherence to the austerity measures, promoting fiscal responsibility and prudent use of public resources,” Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar said in a statement.
He was chairing a meeting of the Committee for Monitoring and Implementation of Conservation and Additional Austerity Measures, constituted under the directions of the PM, bringing together federal and provincial officials to review execution of the broad cost‑cutting plan.
Dar emphasized the government’s commitment to enforcing the PM’s austerity steps nationwide. The committee’s review also covered reductions in departmental expenditure, deductions from salaries of senior officials earning over Rs. 300,000 ($1,120), and coordination with provincial administrations to ensure uniform implementation of the plan.
Participants at the meeting reiterated that all ministries and divisions must continue strict monitoring and reporting, with transparent oversight mechanisms, as Pakistan navigates the economic pressures from the prolonged Middle East crisis and its fallout on global energy and trade markets.
