The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has suffered a major setback. It had to sell the broadcasting rights of 25 international matches to be held in its country at almost half the price set. Sources said that this situation arose after the state-run television company 'Pakistan Television Corporation' (PTV) was the only one to submit a bid for the broadcasting rights.

The PCB recently issued a tender for the broadcasting rights. It set a reserve price of Rs. 600 million (Pakistani rupees). Unlike in the past, this time, several companies were not given the opportunity to bid as a consortium. This reduced the competition. Finally, PTV bid for Rs. 350 million and won the rights. This means that the rights had to be sold for almost Rs. 250 million less than the price set by the board.

There are a total of 25 home matches in the new deal. This includes five Tests, 14 ODIs and six T20Is. Pakistan will play three T20Is against Sri Lanka this month. After that, a seven-match tri-series with England will be held. There are also two Tests with Sri Lanka next month.

PCB sources say that sponsors and advertisers are not showing much interest in cricket due to the recent poor performance of the Pakistani national team. On the other hand, at least three companies that had previously bought the broadcasting rights as a consortium still have to pay their dues to the PCB. This has significantly reduced the number of companies interested in bidding this time. The

PCB has not banned companies with dues from bidding. However, it is reported that they have voluntarily stayed away from the competition. A company that previously won a majority of the broadcasting rights for Pakistan cricket has also not shown interest this time.

In addition, the broadcasting deal includes three T20Is against Ireland in January 2027, as well as a seven-match tri-series involving Ireland and Zimbabwe. However, due to internal board issues, Zimbabwe has already indicated that it is not in a position to tour Pakistan.

Recently, during the 11th season of the Pakistan Super League, the PCB did not get the expected response regarding the broadcasting rights. It is reported that a broadcaster that had acquired the rights of the last season still owes the board. This has once again raised concerns about the financial condition of Pakistan cricket.