CTH eyes rights to Thai Premier League games

He added that he has eyes on two other businesses, but declined to specify what they are.

"The Thai Premier League is must-have local content for us to serve our viewers," said Wichai, a former lawyer of ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

CTH has 300 cable TV operator members with 3.5 million subscribers across the nation. It expects to have more than 7 million household subscribers by 2015.

Wichai said that with the backing of a strong partner like leading sports-content provider Siam Sport Syndicate, CTH has a good chance of grabbing the Thai Premier League (TPL) rights. Siam Sport backed CTH in its EPL bid.

Thai Premier League Co Ltd owns the rights to the Thai Premier League. TrueVisions currently has three-year TPL broadcasting rights until 2013. It is estimated that the rights cost TrueVisions about Bt300 million for the three years.

Besides CTH, GMM Grammy is keen to clinch the TPL rights. Bidding for the rights to broadcast the league in 2014-2016 will begin in January next year. The tournament normally runs from March to October.

CTH surprised EPL market observers by beating rivals including existing rights-holder TrueVisions to snatch the broadcasting rights in Thailand, Cambodia and Laos for three seasons from 2013-14 to 2015-16. It has been speculated that CTH proposed Bt9 billion to clinch the rights. Early this year, CTH bid for the rights to broadcast English FA Cup matches in Thailand with an offer of US$21 million (Bt645 million) but lost to Channel 7, which offered $28 million.

Wichai declined to specify how much CTH offered for the EPL rights, but said it was "worth the price" as clinching the rights would boost CTH’s name recognition overnight.

There is a possibility CTH will partner with pay-TV broadcasters to allow them to air some EPL matches. As Wichai said: "You can win [the EPL rights], but you must not lose your friends."

Wichai jumped into the cable TV business early this year by forming a partnership to acquire CTH shares with Vachara Vacharapol, chief executive officer of Trend VG3, a subsidiary of Vacharapol, which publishes the Thai Rath daily newspaper.

Wichai owns 25 per cent of CTH, while Vachara acquired another 25 per cent on his own. Another 30 per cent is jointly owned by CTH’s members. CTH is wooing other investors to secure the remaining 20 per cent of its stock.

Wichai denied that his entry |into the cable TV arena was poli-tically motivated, insisting that |he had no plan to use the cable-|TV operator’s subscriber base to create a political base for any specific colour. He said his decision to jump in is based purely on the business model and return on investment.

Wichai was a member of the legal team that helped then-prime minister Thaksin win his assets-concealment case before the Constitution Court in 2001. He is also chairman of Prasit Patana, the operator of the Phayathai Hospital group.