PTV Sports, the sports channel on Pakistan Television, will no longer air the ongoing second Test match between Pakistan and Australia starting this Tuesday.
This move follows a recent government directive cracking down on surrogate companies linked to betting houses. The Information and Broadcasting Ministry, in its order, also urged stakeholders to avoid promoting these entities through any advertisements during live sports events
In a notification shared on X, formerly Twitter, PTV Sports wrote: “Pakistan Television (PTV Sports) adhering to the Government of Pakistan’s policy, ‘Zero tolerance for the surrogate Companies’ has discontinued airing the second Test match from Melbourne being played from December 26th, 2023 instead of the Pakistan vs Australia Cricket Series 2023-24.”
The channel reported the issue to the parent broadcaster and Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), along with other relevant stakeholders. It urged the removal of “brand placements of on-ground surrogate companies’ advertisements (virtual advertising).”
The post mentioned that once the matter is resolved, the series will be telecast live. PTV, as a state broadcaster, is actively working to resolve the issue and prevent future blackouts of such transmissions in Pakistan.
Referring to its previous advisory issued last week, the ministry pointed out an “unambiguous violation” during the live broadcast of the Pakistan cricket team’s tour to Australia on various media outlets, including Pakistan Television.
