PTV sports disallowed to deal with Indian firms
Aftab Ahmed
Islamabad: The government has turned down a plan for PTV Sports to enter into contracts to obtain broadcasting rights for sporting events to contract with Indian companies.
The management of PTV Sports had tried its best to obtain broadcasting rights for English Premier League, 2020 and Pakistan Vs. Australia Cricket Series, 2019-2020 from companies of other countries but in vain. It had no other option but to deal with Indian companies.
The Ministry of Commerce informed that the Federal Cabinet had imposed a ban on trade with India. Obtaining broadcasting rights from India falls in the import of services, which the government had not allowed to import.
Therefore, it had advised the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to seek approval of the Federal Cabinet to allow PTVC to enter into contracts with Indian companies to obtain broadcasting rights for sporting events.
Given above, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting submitted that the Pakistan Television Corporation’s request to make payment to Sony Pictures Network India (SPNI) for the cricket series and also requested to be exempt from the ban on trade with Indian companies to obtain broadcasting rights for sporting events in future:
- Series A Championship 2018-19
USD 75,000
- Pakistan Vs. Bangladesh 2020
USD 210,956.66
- Pakistan tour to England Series 2020 USD 500,000
During the discussion, the cabinet members, while expressing solidarity with the Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) people, opposed any trade with India till it reverts its draconian steps of 5th August 2019 and restores the previous status of IOK.
Minister for Information and Broadcasting assured that efforts were being made to obtain broadcasting rights for future series through non-Indian companies.
However, Cabinet believed that PTVC should honor its past commitments to make payments for those series, which were contracted before the trade ban with India.
The Information & Broadcasting Division briefed the Cabinet that the Pakistan Television Corporation (PTVC) Is a National Broadcaster. Its prime objective was to provide standard information, education, and entertainment to the people of Pakistan in terms of credibility and accuracy.
It has a network of 09 terrestrial and satellite channels, having viewership among various sectors of society.
PTV Sports is one of the top sports channels and revenue-generating channels of Pakistan Television Corporation. It obtains broadcasting rights/contents of international and bilateral live sports events from foreign companies.
Indian broadcasters owned most of the live content rights for South Asia. Therefore, it became inevitable for PTV Sports to sublicense the rights for the relevant territory from these parent broadcasters.
The Federal Government imposed an embargo on trade with India and Indian Companies, notified by the Ministry of Commerce vide S.R.O.902(1)/2020, dated 25th September 2020.
Due to the ban in Import Policy Order, PTVC was facing difficulties in obtaining broadcasting rights from Indian companies and making payments to them.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting approached the Ministry of Commerce to exempt PTVC in the Import Policy Order to deal with Indian companies for obtaining broadcasting rights of International sports events.
Cabinet observed that PTV did not require approval of the Cabinet to make payments.
The Cabinet considered the summary titled ‘Exemption of Pakistan Television Corporation from the Ban in Import Policy Order, 2020 to Enter into Contracts/Trade with Indian Companies for Importing Sports Broadcasting Rights/Services submitted by the Information and Broadcasting Division, and did not approve the proposal to the extent of exemption from the ban on trade with Indian Companies to obtain broadcasting rights for sporting events in the future.
Furthermore, the Cabinet further directed that payments for past events did not require approval of the Cabinet as PTVC (or its Board) was competent to make those payments.
