FIFA World Cup will be free to watch in Thailand, says SAT
The Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) says it will buy the licence for live broadcasts of the FIFA World Cup 2022 if private broadcasters fail to do so, to ensure Thailand viewers can watch the matches for free.
SAT governor Kongsak Yodmanee said on Friday that so far no company had contacted the organiser or FIFA to purchase the broadcast rights for the tournament, scheduled to take place in Qatar from November 21 to December 18.
“Thais must be able to watch the World Club live for free under the ‘must-have’ rule. If no private operators are interested in purchasing the licence, the SAT will buy it,” he said. “Money to buy the rights could come from the government or the National Sports Development Fund. However, we hope that a private company will strike a broadcast deal with the organiser soon.”
The must-have rule, imposed by National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission since 2012, mandates that several key sporting events, including the FIFA World Cup finals, must be made available on free television.
Other sport events covered by this rule are the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, SEA Games, Asean Para Games, Asian Games and Asian Para Games.
