Value of TPL broadcast contract expected to triple next season
Another battle in the new war for pay-TV viewers is set to rage when the broadcasting rights for the country's top football league go up for auction for the first time. The winning bid to televise the Thai Premier League for the next three years is expect
TrueVisions’ existing contract expires at the end of the current TPL season, which began last month. But in order to retain top-flight domestic football, the country’s biggest cable TV operator will need to considerably up the Bt200 million it paid for the 2011-2013 seasons.
The stakes have grown even higher for TrueVisions since it failed to secure a new broadcasting contract for the English Premier League, seen as its prize asset. It lost out to Cable Thai Holding (CTH), which reportedly paid the staggering sum of Bt10 billion to clinch the rights to EPL matches.
TrueVisions, which once held the rights to four major European football leagues, has made clear it will do its utmost not to let the TPL slip out of its hands, which would leave it with just Italy’s Serie A.
“We’re trying to provide the maximum sporting content for our subscribers. Although the TPL itself does not generate much revenue, it could help us attract more subscribers if we win the rights. It is worth bidding for, in terms of keeping our clients,” said Ong-ard Prapakamol, TrueVisions’ chief commercial officer.
However, TrueVisions must brace for fierce competition, with CTH leading the challenge. The latter has made no secret of its ambition to become the new leader in the pay-TV business, and it deems the TPL rights as necessary to achieving that target.
Two or three foreign companies have reportedly also showed interest in the TPL rights. It is believed that Singapore-based World Sport Group, which oversaw the broadcasting rights of the AFC Champions League and AFC Cup, is among the potential bidders.
Given the high level of competition in the race for the TPL rights, Thai authorities predict that the likely winner will need to pay at least three times the value of the current contract, meaning the new deal could be worth as much as Bt600 million. The Thai Football Association has made efforts to maximise the opportunity by appointing Sir Dave Richards, chairman of the English Premier League, as a consultant for the bidding process.
Despite initial reports that the auction – the first formal bidding process for the TPL broadcast rights – would take place last month, potential bidders are still waiting for the date to be set.
