A sessions court in Lahore has barred the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) from suspending its broadcast deal with Pakistan Television Corporation (PTVC), issuing a stay order.
PCB had recently canceled the landmark $200 million deal with PTV and I-Media Communications Services that was signed last year to protect PCB’s content from illegal redistribution by cable operators. The signing of the contract was done in the presence of Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is also the patron-in-chief of the cricket board.
The deal allowed PTV Sports to broadcast the Pakistan cricket team’s home series and domestic competitions.
The deal with I-Media Communications ensured that the content generated by the PCB is not reproduced illegally by cable operators and is broadcasted only by licensed operators with PCB’s consent.
However, the PCB suspended the three-year deal last week, reportedly due to non-payments from the two parties, and opened a new tender.
According to ESPNcricinfo, the cricket board also invited bids for media rights for home internationals against the West Indies and Australia. The process, however, has been temporarily halted on the court order.
As per the publication, the cricket board had taken the matter of non-compliance to court. During the course of the hearing on Tuesday, PTV officials told the session judge, Talat Mahmood, that there was ‘no payment delay from the channel as it had honored the deal at every stage.
The PCB, on the other hand, told the court that both parties failed to implement the Digital Pakistan policy—a part of which is regulating the illegal cable operator business.
The PTV contended that the cricket board never raised any grievances with its managing director. The board, on the flip side, always communicated its issues directly to the Information Ministry that oversees the state-owned PTV.
