Media companies Tower Sports and SportzWorkz have expanded their association with the Pakistan Cricket Board by agreeing a new production deal with the governing body.
The consortium has been awarded production rights for the domestic National T20 Cup and Quaid-e-Azam Trophy first-class tournament, along with the forthcoming Pakistan-Zimbabwe limited overs series. The rights were awarded following an invitation to tender process that involved PCB’s pre-qualified production partners.
In February, the PCB appointed Tower Sports and SportzWorkz to handle broadcast production for the 2020 Pakistan Super League, the first edition of the Twenty20 competition to be played entirely in its home country.
Pakistan-registered Tower Sports and Singapore-registered SportzWorkz succeeded the Blitz and Trans Group consortium, which handled production for the 2019 PSL after IMG Reliance pulled out of its production contract.
The latest production deal comes after the PCB this month agreed a new three-year domestic broadcast rights and cable distribution contract with state broadcaster PTV Sports and I-Media Communication Services, respectively.
PTV Sports signed a satellite broadcast deal, with I-Media to ensure cable distribution, and the contracts will run across the 2020 to 2023 cycle. The PCB said the agreement has been structured to provide for increasing revenues over the term of the cycle, adding that it expects to earn in excess of $200m (€171m) over the three-year period.
The broadcast agreement is for Pakistan only, with the PCB stating it will soon finalise the award of its broadcast rights for international territories as well as launching a new structure for its digital media rights.
Scheduled to commence tomorrow (Wednesday), the 2020 National T20 Cup will be broadcast through a 14-camera set-up including HD cameras and the latest graphics packaging. Over the next few years, the PCB aims to up-skill local production resources and create a local talent pool.
All 33 games of the National T20 Cup will be shown live on PTV Sports and a total of 11 matches from the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, which begins on October 25, will be televised live from the National Stadium, Karachi. Pakistan’s series against Zimbabwe consists of three one-day international and three T20 games. It will run from October 30 to November 10.
Commenting on the Tower Sports and SportzWorkz deal, PCB commercial director Babar Hamid said: “This is another milestone in our renewed vision of providing top-quality coverage of domestic cricket and Pakistan’s international home fixtures. We made a major breakthrough by signing a potentially game changing deal with PTV Sports and I-Media Communication in Islamabad earlier this month.
“What excites us further is the development of a local talent production pool that can deliver a complete Pakistan-based production in the years to come which we are confident will match the quality produced around the world.”
The PCB is currently seeking a new international rights deal for the PSL after terminating its contract with Techfront International FZE.
Techfront International FZE had signed a three-year contract for the PSL’s international media rights running from 2019 to 2021, but the PCB this month said the deal had been ended due to a “series of contractual violations”.