26 of the 380 live matches of the forthcoming English Premier League season will be shown free-to-air in Thailand, following a deal between Bangkok Media & Broadcasting and local rights-holder CTH.
The media group's digital high-definition channel, PPTV, will air the football matches in a bid to acquire a greater audience base, its president told The Nation newspaper, without disclosing how much the deal had cost.
Last year, Channel 3's operator, Bangkok Entertainment, reportedly paid about THB200 million (US$5.908 million) for the right to telecast 26 live Premier League matches.
Kematat Paladesh, president of PPTV, said advertisers had already been block-booked for the Premier League 2015-2016 slots on PPTV.
The channel has also acquired the broadcasting rights of Germany's Bundesliga football league for the next two seasons, as well as the 2015 UEFA Under-21 Championship and the International Champions Cup.
In addition, it is reportedly investing in new drama series, with a slate of ten prime time Thai offerings as well as top-rated Korean and Chinese dramas for the remainder of 2015 and next year.
PPTV is currently ranked 13th of the 27 free TV channels in Thailand, according to researcher Nielsen.
Source : http://www.rapidtvnews.com/201…r-free.html#axzz3f6Q1mQN6
