Asia Cup Rights Unsold in Pakistan Amid Sky-High Demand

The 2025 Asia Cup has been marred by controversy for a while now, but while a working solution has been found for some problems, a new headache related to the broadcast rights has emerged.

The event is just over a month away, but Pakistani fans still don’t know which TV channel will broadcast the tournament. That’s because the official media rights for Pakistan have not yet been sold, with local broadcasters pushing back against a hefty $12 million asking price set by the Indian rights-holder.

According to Saleem Khaliq, Pakistani broadcasters are negotiating with Sony India, the official broadcaster of the 2025 Asia Cup. The channels are hoping to lower the fee, which they believe is too high given the current advertising market.

Sony India secured the Asia Cup’s eight-year global media rights (2024–2031) for $170 million last year. This deal includes rights to four men’s Asia Cups, four women’s tournaments, the Emerging Cup, and 119 matches overall. Pakistan’s share from these rights is about 25%, or roughly $42.5 million, while the lion’s share—about 65%—is driven by the Indian market.

According to reports, three local channels are in talks for the broadcasting rights, but none is currently willing to match the $12 million price for the next two editions of the Asia Cup. There have also been discussions about forming a consortium to split the cost, which may be the only way Sony’s asking price can be met. If not, negotiations will continue in hopes of reducing the amount.

The fans, however, have nothing to worry about, as the digital rights for Pakistan have already been finalized and an announcement is expected soon.

Will it be traditional media that wins the race after a breakthrough, or will streaming services who will be the only ones broadcasting the Asia Cup? All will be answered in the coming days.