At least four in bidding for rights to EPL broadcast

There are at least four bidders: major pay-TV operator TrueVisions, Cable Thai Holdings (CTH), GMM Grammy, and RS. It is speculated that Bangkok Broadcasting and TV (BBTV), the operator of Channel 7, will jointly bid with one of these. They all are in the silent period.
“This bidding round might take one or two weeks, but the final outcome will be known this month,” said a broadcasting-industry source.
The four main contenders qualified last month to bid for the broadcast rights. Among the qualifications are number of viewers, broadcasting technologies, and subscription base.
Given that the competition this time is expected to be fiercer than in the past, it is expected that the winning price could be as high as US$150 million (Bt4.6 billion) for the next three EPL seasons.
TrueVisions earlier said it believed that its large viewer base and strong business experience would help it win the three-year rights to broadcast EPL matches in Thailand starting next season. It has won the rights for two consecutive terms. Its existing three-year right expires next year.
TrueVisions has about 2 million subscribers. It is also expanding its partnerships to broaden its viewer base.
Earlier CTH said it was ready to bid high to win the EPL rights. Its 300 cable-operator members have a combined subscriber base of about 3.5 million, which it expects to reach 7 million in the next three years.