Pakistani football fans were left in the lurch as the state-run television channel, Pakistan Television (PTV), failed to air last year’s 2022 FIFA World Cup.
In a recent development, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has submitted a report to the National Assembly, which highlighted the channel’s failure to obtain telecast rights and its inability to broadcast the matches live.
According to the report, being an official channel, it was PTV’s responsibility to ensure that the nation’s football enthusiasts were able to witness the global event. However, due to the channel’s inaction, the majority of the population was deprived of the opportunity to watch the tournament live.
PTV had the opportunity to earn broadcasting rights for the World Cup by sacrificing a small portion of its profits. However, the channel’s lack of initiative has resulted in severe backlash from the public and concerned authorities, the report further stated.
In light of the situation, a three-member committee has been appointed to investigate the matter further. Necessary actions will be taken based on the committee’s opinions and recommendations. It remains to be seen whether the responsible parties will be held accountable for this oversight or if such a scenario will be repeated in the future.
While historically, PTV has been the main broadcaster for the previous FIFA World Cups, this time around, A-Sports telecasted the matches live.