The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday announced that TikTok, one of the leading destination for short form videos, will be the title sponsor of the upcoming historic Test series between Pakistan and Australia, which will kick-off in Rawalpindi from March 4.
After the association, it will be for the first time when a digital entertainment platform has sponsored a bilateral series in Pakistan. The move represents an exciting step for both TikTok and PCB, bringing a new kind of partner for international cricket in the country.
As the title sponsor, TikTok will provide a place where cricket fans can follow their favourite cricket content creators, share the best TikTok cricket content, and create their own special moments, reactions and celebrations around this historic series with Australia.
Alongside the partnership, PCB will launch an official TikTok account prior to the series with a mission to inspire and entertain millions of cricket fans not just in Pakistan but also around the world with exclusive behind-the-scenes content as well as current and archival footage.
Commenting on the development, PCB Chief Executive Faisal Hasnain said: “We have already established an excellent relationship with TikTok, starting with the HBL Pakistan Super League 2022. Given that relationship, we are delighted to extend it further for the historic Pakistan versus Australia Test series, which will probably be the series of the year.”
“This agreement with TikTok is a further indication of the current good health of Pakistan cricket and reflects the value and benefit commercial partners see by associating themselves with our brand,” he added.
On the other hand, Paul Katrib, Head of Brand Marketing, Middle East, Turkey, Africa and Pakistan at TikTok said: “We are delighted to become the title sponsor of this historic Pakistan-Australia series. After the resounding success of our partnership with HBL PSL 2022, we want to continue cementing TikTok’s position as the ultimate platform for cricket fandom in Pakistan.”
“TikTok has become a place where people enjoy a new type of experience for sports and cricket, in particular, as more and more cricket organisations, teams and players jump on our platform to engage directly with fans. Our Pakistani community on TikTok loves to celebrate cricket in creative ways, and we can’t wait to see how they engage with all the unmissable content we expect for this historic series against Australia,” he added.
Earlier in February, PCB and Cricket Australia had announced a revised itinerary for the upcoming Australia men’s cricket team’s tour of Pakistan during the current calendar year.
The tour, which will be Australia’s first in 24 years, was announced to start and end in Rawalpindi with the opening Test to be played from March 4-8 and the four white-ball matches to be played from March 29 to April 5
The change in the first Test venue means that the second Test will be played in Karachi from 12-16 March and the third in Lahore from 21-25 March.
PCB had said that the schedule was revised to ease logistical and operational challenges as well as to avoid Pakistan Day rehearsals, which usually commence in Islamabad in the second week of March.