World Cup football matches to be shown “live” in Singapore
By Mustafa Shafawi/S Ramesh | Posted: 07 May 2010 1719 hrs
SINGAPORE: It’s official!
Football fans in Singapore will be able to catch the 2010 World
Cup action ‘live’ on their television screens.
The good news was delivered by both StarHub and SingTel, the
joint bidders, in their media statements on Friday.
All 64 matches of the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa will
be shown live.
The two telcos are offering subscribers early-bird World Cup
football package priced at S$66 on or before 31 May, after which it
will cost S$88.
In a statement, MediaCorp said it is finalising arrangements
with the two telcos to air four key World Cup matches on Channel 5
and HD5.
The four matches that will be telecast live with same day
encores are: opening match, two semi-finals and finals. Such an
arrangement would be subject to FIFA’s
approval.
SingTel and StarHub subscribers will get to view the matches on
two dedicated World Cup channels.
The main World Cup channel, FIFA World Cup
Channel 1, will air the ‘live’ telecast of 56 matches, primetime
repeats of the matches, delayed telecast of eight simulcast
matches, as well as pre- and post-match features and daily match
highlights on all platforms.
FIFA World Cup Channel 2 will offer the
‘live’ telecast of eight simulcast matches.
StarHub’s Chief Operating Officer Tan Tong Hai said: “We
negotiated hard for the World Cup rights for over a year, with the
best interest of the nation at heart. We are thrilled to be able to
bring viewers in Singapore to the heart of the sporting action in
South Africa.”
SingTel’s chief of content and media services, Edward Ying, said
that despite the challenging negotiations, “the focus at the heart
of it was the football fans in Singapore”.
FIFA director of TV, Niclas Ericson, said
that he is pleased at the successful conclusion to the negotiations
and that “viewers throughout Singapore will be able to celebrate
the best that football has to offer”.
Speaking at a news conference, senior officials from both
StarHub and SingTel Mio TV said their objective is to break even in
their first-ever joint bid to bring the World Cup to
Singaporeans.
As sponsors’ advertisements will be telecast on both platforms,
there is also no need for either party to compete for their own
sponsorships.
Asked if the S$66 early-bird price is too high compared to what
was charged in the last World Cup, both parties said the price was
arrived after doing a market survey. As there are some 64 matches
to be aired, this will also will translate to just a dollar per
match.
On MediaCorp’s intentions to broadcast four matches on
free-to-air channels, both telcos said they have no objections.
Both are now looking into the due process to help realise this.
They said the free-to-air channels would reach out to a bigger
audience and this is something to be welcomed.
- CNA/ir
