BCB to take time to strike deals for broadcasting rights, team sponsor
Image : Collected
|| CF Correspondent ||
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) doesn’t want to make any hurry in finding sponsors for the team and broadcasting rights as well rather they want to give more time to the potential sponsors to make them ready for it.
The national team has been running on back of interim sponsors after the end of the BCB’s previous team sponsor contract with multinational company Unilever Limited, the contract which has expired in January this year.
Along with that, a six-year broadcasting rights agreement with the country's private satellite television channel Gazi TV has also ended in the last month.
The way BCB was negotiating with their potential sponsors for the team and broadcasting rights prior to the coronavirus outbreak which was not the same this time around.
Citing the current situation, BCB Director and its Finance Committee Chairman Ismail Haider Mallick told the leading Bengali online portal that they are eyeing for a better time to strike sponsorship deal for the team and the broadcasting rights.
Mallick also said they don’t make any rush regarding these important matters because the brand value of Bangladesh cricket has improved a lot more than the past occasion.
“We have to understand the reality of the country and the world as well. The overall financial situations of the country and the world have not been the same since the outbreak of coronavirus. It’s also a challenging time for our potential sponsors. We have to give them time to get ready. We’re also having a home office, now a special situation is going on,” Ismail Haider Mallick said.
“The brand value of Bangladesh cricket has surged a lot more than the past. When we took over the charge of the BCB, the money came from Jersey sponsorship. And that price is many, many times higher now. We want to get sponsors for the long term with the expected amount. For that, the time and situation have to be favourable,” Mallick told the media outlet.
“The money for which the broadcasting rights are obtained is not the final one. There have been many series where matches go back and forth. Some ODIs and T20Is have been reduced. The board has received all the money due from the matches that have taken place. We’ve nothing left behind,” he added.
Citing the fiasco of the Nimbus, Mallick said Gazi TV got the broadcasting rights from BCB at the cost of US$ 2.25 crore in 2014 and BCB received all the money in due time.
However, BCB still owes a large sum of money from Nimbus. Nimbus had the broadcasting rights from 2006 to 2012. Although the board did not say officially, the amount has been heard to be around BDT 150 crore. Despite a long legal battle, it has not been resolved. Unable to cope with the legal complexities, the BCB sees no clear future for it.
“There is nothing hopeful about Nimbus’ money. It’s the same as before. We tried a lot, but a lot of money has been spent on legal battles,” Ismail Haider concluded.
