GMM Z bags broadcast rights for eight leading soccer clubs
GMM Grammy has won the TV broadcasting rights for eight major soccer clubs as a part of its drive to achieve sales of 2 million satellite TV set-top boxes this year.
“This sales target is realistic as the company has already passed the halfway mark with over 1 million boxes sold,” chairman Paiboon Damrongchaitham said yesterday.
Kobkiat Sangwanich, managing director for sports and content development at GMM Z, GMM Grammy’s satellite TV arm, said the sports channels belong to Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea in the UK, Real Madrid and Barcelona in Spain, AC Milan in Italy and Borussia Dortmund in Germany, under three-year agreements.
GMM Z will select some live matches or TV programmes from those channels to be aired separately via its three exclusive channels, namely GMM Z Sport One, Football Plus and Club Channel. The customer must get access to such content free-of-charge via GMM Z boxes only.
This move was considered as plan B in case it failed to clinch the media rights to the 2013-15 seasons of the English Premiere League in the bidding beginning next month.
With the new sports content, the company could reach the sales target of 2 million GMM Z boxes, including new GMM Z mini boxes, by year-end as forecast, he said.
Paiboon said GMM Z would launch the GMM mini, priced at Bt400-Bt500 a unit, in the middle of next month, targeting mass customers in the provinces. This could also help the company to penetrate at least 2 million households.
GMM Z would also be the exclusive broadcaster of 120 Thailand Futsal Premier League matches starting on October 9, under a deal for the 2012-13 season.
