Bangladesh Cricket Board or BCB, the autonomous governing body for the development and operation of cricket in Bangladesh. This organization represents Bangladesh cricket at national and international level as well as controls the management of cricket and all kinds of activities. According to the BCB’s annual report, at the end of the 2019-20 financial year, BCB’s net assets amounted to about BDT 8,326,887,010. Besides, in the same financial year, the Bangladesh Cricket Board generated revenue of around BDT 332,82,58,604 and the profit of the organization was about BDT 529,134,026. However, what is the revenue generation mechanism of this fully autonomous organization?
Overview of BCB
The Bangladesh Cricket Board or BCB started its journey in 1972 with very limited resources and a small team. At that time, the organization was known as Bangladesh Cricket Control Board or BCCB and conducted all the activities. In 1977, the organization became an associate member of the ICC, the governing body of world cricket, and on June 26, 2000, became a full member of the ICC. The first cricket academy of Bangladesh was established in 2006 and the following year in 2007, the institution came to be known as Bangladesh Cricket board or BCB. BCB’s main priority is to further develop Bangladesh cricket. Bangladesh is currently one of the top cricketing nations in the world, and the BCB is focusing more on how to further develop the team’s game in order to move up the global cricket rankings while maintaining competitiveness. According to the BCB’s annual report, the BCB has invested BDT 222,625,075 in the development of cricket in the 2019-20 financial year. BCB manages all expenses and investments as an autonomous body for the development of cricket as well as for maintaining and managing all kinds of facilities. BCB maintains 10 existing international venues in Bangladesh for game promotion and improvement of cricket infrastructure.
How Makes Money?
Revenue from ICC
The ICC generates revenue each year from broadcasting rights selling, sponsorship, loans, investments and a number of other sources and shares a certain portion of the profits with member cricket boards over a period of time. The ICC’s profit sharing is a major revenue generating source for the BCB. According to the BCB’s Financial Report, in the fiscal year 2019-20, the BCB generated a total revenue of BDT 1,380,900,000 from the ICC’s Profit Distribution and Test Fund, accounting for 41% of the BCB’s total revenue.
Revenue from Tournaments
BCB generates a significant portion of its revenue from selling tickets for various tournaments, hosting binational series, and sponsoring domestic tournaments such as the BPL and National Premier League. According to a UNB source, in 2021, ‘Impress Matra Consortium’ bought the sponsorship rights of all the domestic tournaments of Bangladesh national team from BCB till 2023 for BDT 33.5 crore, which was later sold by ‘Impress Matra Consortium’ to ‘Alesha Mart’ and ‘Walton’. BCB also generates revenue from sponsorship of several other domestic leagues including Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) and Dhaka Premier League. Apart from this, BCB also earns revenue from ticket sales for international matches and matches in local tournaments which is a part of BCB’s tournament revenue. In FY 2019-20, the revenue generated from BCB’s tournament was BDT 1,000,814,536.
Sale of TV Broadcasting Rights
BCB generates revenue by selling television broadcasting rights for various tournaments or matches. According to Sportspromedia, ‘Ban Tech agency’ is currently the television broadcasting partner of BCB, who secured the broadcasting rights of every game of Bangladesh from May 2021 to October 2023 for $19.07 million. However, according to the BCB’s Financial Report, the BCB has been able to generate revenue of around BDT 98,322,240 by selling broadcasting rights.
Sponsorship
The popularity of cricket in Bangladesh significantly amplifies the commercial value of Bangladesh National Cricket Team and this results in the board earning significantly from team sponsorship, kit sponsorships and also from advertisements placed in the stands or the ad-boards of the stadium. According to the Dhaka Tribune, from 2021 to November 2023, Daraj is the sponsorship rights holder of Bangladesh Men’s Cricket Team, Women’s Cricket Team, Bangladesh ‘A’ Team, and Under-19 Cricket Team. Also, Daraj’s Sister Concern ‘Hungrinaki’ is the kit sponsor of the cricket team. In addition, BCB is also generating revenue from ISP partner ‘aamra’, and Hospitality partner, Pan-Pacific Sonargaon. Due to the commercial value of the Bangladesh national cricket team, it has been able to generate BDT 292,835,246 of revenue from BCB sponsorship in FY 2019-20.
Other Income
BCB also generates revenue from several other sources including ‘disciplinary issues’ and ‘release fees’. In FY 2018-19, BCB’s ‘miscellaneous revenue’ was over BDT 1 crore 30 lacs, which was reduced to about BDT 76 lacs due to the pandemic. Additionally, BCB generates revenue from the interest for the amount it deposits with various banks. According to The Business Standard, BCB has a total fixed savings of BDT 545 crore in the fiscal year 2019-20. BCB has earned BDT 547,805,121 from the interest of these savings.
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