PCB finalises ‘landmark’ deal

KARACHI: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Monday that it has finalised a “landmark” sponsorship deal with Transglobal - a joint venture between Techfront-iTW and Transmedia.
Though the Board didn’t disclose any figures related to the two-year deal a top official told ‘The News’ that it is one of the most lucrative deals ever signed by the PCB.
“You can judge it by the fact that in the new deal the forthcoming home series against England with fetch PCB almost double the amount that it fetched when we last hosted them,” the PCB official said.
In a media release, the PCB said that both Techfront-iTW and Transmedia have a long-standing association with cricket, having collectively partnered with various international boards and leagues around the world.
“As per the ICC Future Tours Program, Pakistan is scheduled to play four home series over the next two years starting with the much-awaited England series this month. The other three series scheduled are against India, West Indies, and Sri Lanka. In order to cultivate long-term relationships, maximize its commercial value, and secure strong sponsorship values for all tours, PCB took a strategic decision to invite tenders for a long-term deal instead of selling the tours separately,” the release said.
“According to the new marketing and sales plan, the PCB categorised its long-term rights in the sales process. Bids were invited for Test and T20 rights bundled together, while ODI rights were categorised separately. In times when global interest in Test cricket is dwindling, this has helped PCB secure significant sponsorship value for the longest format of the game; a key objective of the exercise,” it added.
Explaining the process, Marketing & Sales Director Naila Bhatti said: “Brands want to get associated with T20 and ODI cricket, and by separating these two, we were able to attract more interest and lock down an unprecedented amount for all tours across all formats.”
The release add: “along with bringing in record commercial values, the deal will help redefine and reignite the cricket sponsorship trends in Pakistan. The partnership has opened up doors for global brands from the UAE, UK, India and other countries to actively align themselves with Pakistan Cricket. The Pakistan Cricket Board will go all digital, across all formats, in terms of on ground-signage for all tours covered in the long term deal, the first cricket board to do so in the world. Also in the pipeline are digital upper-tier branding and digital boundary rope signage, a first for international cricket.”
In a joint statement from Techfront-iTW Consulting and Transmedia, the partners highlighted the huge commercial value in Pakistan cricket. “We are absolutely delighted to partner with the PCB. There is enormous potential in the Pakistani market and the large diaspora presence means there is also great scope in the global cricket market. We aim to create a look and feel that elevates the sponsorship branding around PCB hosted tours to a level that we currently see in global competitions like the ICC World Cup and the IPL. These are exciting times and we look forward to our association with the Pakistan Cricket Board.”