The Indian budget every year has always been an eagerly awaited event. For many decades, the best minds in economics, finance, tax, business and industry throng the media house to analyze the provisions shared by the Financial Minister.
Sometimes major events completely disconnected may be data points for the plans of the different powers around the world. The challenge is to discern what purpose they serve? More critically, what are we moving towards?
When the US Ambassador threatened India's "Strategic Autonomy" policy over India's friendship with Russia - much more than meets the eye was at stake. Let us unpack how the Ukraine war has fundamentally changed the US and the world. And why are we here anyway?
Pakistan Super League (PSL) is a beggar’s (poor man is richer) version of Indian Cricket League (IPL). While PSL’s media rights went for $36 million to Blitz Advertising and Techfront in December 2018; IPL’s media rights were sold for INR 16,347 crores ($2.3 Billion)!
However, for a nation almost in bankruptcy, this is a big amount. And, India is the largest market for cricket in the world in terms of revenue earned. According to some estimates, 70% of all ICC’s revenues are generated from the Indian market!
That is the power of Indian market when it comes to cricket.
Until now, Pakistan Super League matches were being telecast in India via the DD Sports and many large websites were sharing the updates live (like they do for IPL). No more.
Per Mumbai Mirror, DSports has stopped the telecast of the matches with immediate effect.
Meanwhile, Cricbuzz – cricket content website – and Dream11 – fantasy cricket site, have also stopped carrying PSL.
On similar lines like D Sports, popular cricket news and score website CricBuzz has also suspended its news and sports coverage of the league. All the current scorecards and news articles related to this season of the league have been pulled down.
Fantasy Cricket Website, Dream XI too has followed the suit. It has stopped its fantasy games related to the PSL matches.
This will have a devastating impact on the whole viability of PSL.
Think of it – outside of Pakistanis, only the Indians would be able to relate with PSL due to the South Asian connection and language. If the Indians abandon the PSL in-toto; Pakistanis are not enough to make it viable. More so because cricket in India is made viable by the money spent by the sponsors. Indian corporate sponsors of the telecasts and advertisements on the ground have made cricket lucrative in India. If the Indian audience goes so do the Indian sponsors. And, honestly, if the Pakistani sponsors were that rich, they would have made Pakistani cricket viable.
The time is now to put the brakes from every side.
The Indian budget every year has always been an eagerly awaited event. For many decades, the best minds in economics, finance, tax, business and industry throng the media house to analyze the provisions shared by the Financial Minister.
When the US Ambassador threatened India's "Strategic Autonomy" policy over India's friendship with Russia - much more than meets the eye was at stake. Let us unpack how the Ukraine war has fundamentally changed the US and the world. And why are we here anyway?
This visit of India left me with many questions. Many observations and inputs from different people and sections. Food for thought that I have tried to contemplate on and make sense of. Sharing all that with you.
When you analyze the last 60 years of the economic miracles of Singapore, South Korea and Malaysia versus the continued impoverished Indian economy, you get very interesting lessons. Can Indians have the wherewithal in them to do in one generation so that the coming generations may rise?
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