England’s upcoming Test series against Pakistan might not be televised in the United Kingdom as the Pakistan Cricket Board has failed to attract any broadcaster to telecast the series.
Per The Guardian, PCB issued a tender last month to invite broadcasters to come forward, however, it has failed to attract any interested party as no broadcasters even came forward to negotiate with the board.
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The last time England toured Pakistan for a Test series was in December 2022 when Sky Sports took the rights to broadcast the series in the UK, however, Sky has not shown any interest this time. Ben Stokes and Co. had clinched the series 3-0 against the Babar Azam-led side.
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Why are broadcasters not interested in televising England’s tour of Pakistan?
The Guardian report further states that Sky has no intention of taking the right once again while TNT Sport declined to negotiate with PCB.
The reason Sky has reportedly cited for declining to broadcast the series is that the cost of acquiring overseas rights and covering the tour of high production value will be difficult for them to justify when they fail to attract additional subscribers at a time when the cricket audience is less in the UK due to the peak football season with the Premier League going on in full throttle.
PCB can also be blamed for further complicating the matter by assigning a local agency to sell the overseas rights instead of hiring international players.
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When is England’s tour of Pakistan?
The England cricket team is all set to visit Pakistan in October where Ben Stokes and Co. will play three Test matches starting on October 7. Multan, Karachi and Rawalpindi will host the three games.
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