PUTRAJAYA, May 30 — Putrajaya’s plan to broadcast the World Cup 2018 tournament for free is expected to cost RM40 million, Minister of Communications and Multimedia Gobind Singh Deo revealed today.
The government is working to get the broadcasting rights for national network Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) through a directly negotiated tender, which Gobind said will help keep the ceiling price low.
“We are able to bring down the ceiling price by negotiating directly,” Gobind told a press conference here.
Sponsorships and advertising money are also expected to mitigate some of the cost, he added.
The Ministry of Finance, which has agreed to fund the plan, is scheduled to release a cost breakdown tomorrow, the Puchong MP said.
The 21st edition of the tournament will be held in Russia, starting from June 14, with 32 nations participating in a total of 41 matches that span a month.
Gobind said RTM is expected to broadcast 27 games ‘live’ while the rest will be delayed telecasts.
Only cable network Astro currently has the broadcasting rights to show all World Cup matches ‘live’.
The media rights to show the World Cup in Malaysia has been held by M-League Marketing Sdn Bhd since 2002, which then licenses it to Astro.
The World Cup tournament is considered the largest sporting event globally, and also the most lucrative.
The ruling Pakatan Harapan coalition had made the ‘live’ broadcasts all major sports leagues around the world, including the English Premier League, as part of its manifesto.
