The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has set up a committee to look into matters relating to the sale of television rights of Pakistan cricket and they are likely to take a decision on the bids later this month.
PCB sources are upbeat over the response they are getting as the the rights amount could well cross the 100 million dollars. PCB director Marketting Dr Ahsan Malik is looking after the rights deal, with former ICC President Ehsan Mani acting as consultatnt.
As per the bilateral agreement with India, PCB has included the 2013 India series in the bids, though it is not covered in FTP.
Since Ten Sports have developed serious differences with their active partners, ARY, the ARY is making a separate bid on its own. They telecast the Toronto T20 event to get the first hand experience of how to deal with live cricket coverage.
Ten sports have activated its officials to all corners, in its bid to once again get the rights, which they bought for 44 million dollars for the period 2004 to 2008. The deal was then seen with suspicion, as IMG (TWI) claimed that they had put a higher bid.
"Ten Sports added some 13 million dollars to that deal subsequently, from out of the blue, after India revived bilateral series with Pakistan. But that sum was peanuts as TEN recovered the whole money from the historic 2004 series in one go and the rest of the years they sat on those laurels."
Experts had also alleged that some of the PCB officials, including the then chairman Lt General Tauqir Zia got kickback from Bukhatir over the deal, but Zia denied any such charges and nothing could be proved against him.
"Despite the not so good security situation in Pakistan, there are chances that the TV rights deal would fetch over 120 million dollars. But since the last time we alleged foul play, we fear the same thing will happen again," a TWI official told cricketnirvana.com.
PCB sources are upbeat over the response they are getting as the the rights amount could well cross the 100 million dollars. PCB director Marketting Dr Ahsan Malik is looking after the rights deal, with former ICC President Ehsan Mani acting as consultatnt.
As per the bilateral agreement with India, PCB has included the 2013 India series in the bids, though it is not covered in FTP.
Since Ten Sports have developed serious differences with their active partners, ARY, the ARY is making a separate bid on its own. They telecast the Toronto T20 event to get the first hand experience of how to deal with live cricket coverage.
Ten sports have activated its officials to all corners, in its bid to once again get the rights, which they bought for 44 million dollars for the period 2004 to 2008. The deal was then seen with suspicion, as IMG (TWI) claimed that they had put a higher bid.
"Ten Sports added some 13 million dollars to that deal subsequently, from out of the blue, after India revived bilateral series with Pakistan. But that sum was peanuts as TEN recovered the whole money from the historic 2004 series in one go and the rest of the years they sat on those laurels."
Experts had also alleged that some of the PCB officials, including the then chairman Lt General Tauqir Zia got kickback from Bukhatir over the deal, but Zia denied any such charges and nothing could be proved against him.
"Despite the not so good security situation in Pakistan, there are chances that the TV rights deal would fetch over 120 million dollars. But since the last time we alleged foul play, we fear the same thing will happen again," a TWI official told cricketnirvana.com.
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