Thailand may not get Fifa World Cup broadcast rights, SAT warns
For the first time in 50 years, Thais may not be able to watch the Fifa World Cup on free TV channels, the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) governor warned on Monday.
Kongsak Yodmanee spoke after receiving 600 million baht from the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) to fund the purchase of broadcast rights for the World Cup, which starts on Sunday (November 20).
“Even with NBTC’s contribution we are still short of 1 billion baht to buy the rights from Fifa, which has set a price of 1.6 billion baht, higher than neighbouring countries,” said Kongsak.
He added that SAT had been in talks with Fifa but the price was unlikely to be lowered before the deadline on Friday (November 18).
If Thailand failed to sign the contract by the deadline, viewers would not be able to watch any of the World Cup’s 64 matches on free TV, he said.
However, the SAT is hoping that Fifa will offer other options for Thai fans to watch the tournament, Kongsak added.
On Sunday, Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said he hoped SAT could negotiate the price down to 1.2 billion baht. Phiphat’s plan is to borrow the other 600 million baht from the National Sports Development Fund and be repaid by private advertisers after sponsorship rights have been negotiated.
The World Cup has been broadcast on free TV in Thailand since 1970.
Since 1990, every match of the tournament has been available to watch for free.
However, the NBTC is now considering removing the “must have” rule that has covered World Cup broadcasts since 2012. It argues that mandatory free broadcasts should only apply to tournaments in which Thai national athletes compete. The Thailand national team is yet to qualify for a Fifa World Cup.
