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, UK discuss regional security, cross-border attacks as senior official visits Islamabad
- British envoy for Afghanistan Richard Lindsay’s visit comes at a time of a surge in militancy in Pakistan’s border regions
- Pakistani diplomat says both sides reviewed broader security challenges, emphasized coordination to address ‘shared concerns’
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani and British officials have discussed regional security challenges and cross-border attacks during talks in Islamabad, a Pakistani diplomat said on Tuesday, during a visit of the United Kingdom’s Afghanistan envoy, Richard Lindsay, to the Pakistani capital.
Pakistan and the UK regularly cooperate on counterterrorism and security, with a focus on intelligence-sharing to combat militant activity. Lindsay’s visit comes at a time of a rise in militancy in Pakistan’s western provinces, which border Afghanistan.
Mohammad Sadiq, Pakistan’s special representative for Afghanistan, said the discussions in Islamabad focused on the regional security situation, particularly the urgent challenge posed by cross-border attacks.
“We also exchanged views on the latest regional security developments and broader security challenges,” he said on X. “We emphasized the importance of continued cooperation and coordination to address shared concerns and promote regional stability.”
Islamabad frequently accuses Afghanistan of allowing its soil and India of backing militant groups, such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), for attacks against Pakistan. Kabul and New Delhi deny this.
In recent years, Pakistan and the UK have engaged with each other on counterterrorism and cross-border crimes as part of bilateral cooperation.
Both sides held the second round of the Pakistan-UK Counter Terrorism Dialogue in London in February last year, reviewing global and regional threats and exchanging best practices. Over the years, armed forces of both countries have also maintained close cooperation, particularly in counterterrorism efforts and professional military training.
