VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese television broadcasters agreed at a meeting on February 27 that they would ask for sharing of the British Premier League (EPL) TV rights from the French group Canal Plus.
K + to get the Premier League TV rights
The meeting between the Association of VN pay television service providers and TV stations attracted the attention of the local media and football fans after IMG stated to sell the EPL TV rights for Canal Plus.
According to the announcement from IMG on February 26, it gave the right to broadcast all 380 matches of the EPL during the three seasons from 2013 to 2016 for the French group.
IMG previously divided the EPL TV rights into three packages and Canal Plus bought the two most important packets.
Accordingly, the French group has the exclusive right to broadcast all matches on Sunday and 32 matches at 12h45 on Saturday. On the Saturday without the game at 12h45, Canal Plus can select 5 games on that Saturday to air. They also have a prior right to choose mid-week games for exclusive broadcast. In addition, Canal Plus will have the right to broadcast (non-exclusive) all other matches on Saturday, Monday and midweek.
It is explained that the cooperation between the two foreign corporations is outside the control of VTV because Canal Overseas (partner of VTV’s K + in VSTV Company) is just a subsidiary of Canal Plus.
In the meeting, VTV’s deputy general director Nguyen Thanh Luong analyzed the recent developments. He said while Vietnamese broadcasters were unable to set up the negotiation team for the EPL TV rights, IMG directly discussed with France-based Canal Plus and sold the two exclusive packages.
The most important issue in the meeting is whether local broadcasters should buy the remaining package from IMG or not broadcast the EPL.
VTV confirmed that Canal Plus has not officially decided to transfer the EPL TV rights to K +. This means that other TV stations still have the hope to share the two exclusive EPL TV rights packages with this group.
Once again VTV is entrusted to negotiate with Canal Plus. Mr. Le Dinh Cuong, vice president and general secretary of the Association of Vietnam pay TV service providers was assigned to compile a dispatch to send to Canal Plus.
S. Tung