Thai govt mulls THB600m loan to buy Fifa World Cup broadcast rights
The government is mulling whether to borrow 600 million baht from the National Sports Development Fund to buy the broadcast rights for the Fifa World Cup.
With less than a week to go before the tournament kicks off in Qatar on November 20, fans still don’t know if the matches will be broadcast in Thailand.
The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) last week approved a budget of 600 million baht to acquire broadcast rights for World Cup matches, as the “must have” rule dictates they should be aired for free in Thailand.
However, Fifa has reportedly set the price at 1.6 billion baht.
Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said on Sunday that he has tasked the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) with negotiating the price down to 1.2 billion baht.
Phiphat said 600 million baht to buy the rights will come from NBTC’s Broadcasting and Telecommunications Research and Development Fund for Public Interest. The other 600 million baht would be borrowed from the National Sports Development Fund and be repaid by private advertisers after sponsorship rights had been negotiated, he said.
Phiphat has asked Deputy Prime Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwan to call a SAT board meeting by Tuesday to consider the 600-million-baht loan from the National Sports Development Fund. Gen Prawit oversees the SAT.
Trairat Viriyasirikul, acting NBTC secretary-general, admitted last Friday that the “must have” rule would have to be revised as it is disrupting business operations.
Trairat explained the National Sports Development Fund was authorised to buy broadcast rights for events at which Thai athletes compete, such as the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Southeast Asian Games, Asean Para Games, Asian Games and Asian Para Games. He added that “must have” rule should not extend to the Fifa World Cup unless the Thailand national team is competing.
The World Cup, featuring 32 teams and 64 matches, will be held from November 20 to December 18 in Qatar.
