For the media rights to the Asia Cup, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) intends to issue a tender; this might happen as soon as next month. By July, the ACC hopes to have the process finished. The ACC authorities have been speaking with Indian broadcasters over the past few months to get their opinions on the matter.
Although Cricket sport is aware that the ACC will present both four- and eight-year contracts, the broadcasters seem to be of the opinion that the parties will ultimately choose the longer term option. There will be two 50-over championships and two Twenty20 tournaments among the four Asia Cups included in the offer.
In order to avoid the controversies of the last edition, it is also understood that the Asia Cups will take place in locations other than those in Pakistan and India, as the ACC is being proactive in informing the broadcasters. The ACC seeks to prevent situations where teams from Pakistan and India decline to visit one other’s nations.
India declined to travel to Pakistan, the designated host nation, hence the most recent Asia Cup was conducted under a hybrid format. Pakistan hosted a portion of the competition, with Sri Lanka hosting the remaining portion. The probable hosts are mostly expected to be Oman, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and the United Arab Emirates.
The agreement between Star Sports, the Asia Cup’s departing broadcaster, and the competition was reportedly valued almost $80 million for each of the four editions. Given that each edition will feature two or three India-Pakistan matches—the highest-profile matches in international cricket—the ACC is looking for a rise in value.
FanCode wins rights to the Pakistan-NZ series
The streaming service FanCode has acquired the rights to broadcast the five Twenty20 International matches in India. FanCode is thought to have purchased the rights from the consortium after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) sold the international rights to ARY Communications and TransGroup. This T20I kicks off on April 18.
Speaking about it, a PCB representative stated that discussions are under progress. “For the T20I series between Pakistan and New Zealand, the PCB’s international media rights partner is the TransGroup and ARY Communications consortium. I am aware that certain arrangements are being finalized in India. Either the partners or the PCB (speaking on behalf of the partners) will make the announcement once these agreements are finalized,” the PCB stated. Cricket sport is aware that the FanCode agreement is set in stone.
