Thailand drops World Cup from Must Have list, free TV no longer guaranteed
Thailand's new NBTC rule removes the FIFA World Cup from the Must Have list, allowing pay-TV platforms to gain exclusive broadcast rights.
The Royal Gazette has published a new announcement by Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), revising the list of “Must Have” television programmes required to be broadcast on free-to-air platforms.
The new regulation, titled Criteria for Important Television Programmes to be Broadcast Exclusively via Free-to-Air Television Services (No. 2), came into effect the day after its publication on May 16, 2025.
Issued under the authority of the Frequency Allocation Act 2010 and the Broadcasting Act 2008, the revised criteria aim to align with evolving viewer habits and the modern television industry landscape.
A key change is the removal of the FIFA World Cup from the mandatory list. Under the new rule, broadcasters are no longer required to air the World Cup on free-to-air television, meaning rights holders can now offer it exclusively via pay-TV or digital platforms.
Although the NBTC still enforces its Must Carry rule—requiring free-to-air sports broadcasts to be accessible via all delivery methods, including antenna (analogue or digital), satellite, cable, and online platforms—this no longer applies to the FIFA World Cup, which has been removed from the Must Have list.
If no free-to-air channel acquires the rights, there is a possibility that the tournament will not be broadcast to the general public at all.
The issue of Must Have regulations has sparked controversy in the past. In 2014, RS Public Company Limited, which held the rights to the 2014 FIFA World Cup, filed a lawsuit against the NBTC after it was ordered to broadcast all matches. The court ruled in favour of RS, citing that the company had secured the rights before the regulation came into force.
As a result, during the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, no private broadcaster in Thailand was willing to acquire the rights directly. The government, under then-Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha, had to intervene and mediate, eventually convincing nine private companies to jointly fund the rights purchase at a combined cost of over 1.6 billion baht.
The updated Must Have list now includes only six sporting events:
- SEA Games
- ASEAN Para Games
- Asian Games
- Asian Para Games
- Olympic Games
- Paralympic Games
The NBTC’s original Must Have regulation, introduced in 2012, was designed to ensure public access to major sports and events of national importance.
