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THE Government has signalled that it would not fund the 2010 World Cup on free-to-air television, as it looks like Singapore will be denied the live telecast because SingTel and StarHub will not pay the price demanded by soccer's world governing body, Fifa.
Responding to recent letters and commentaries in the press on the ongoing World Cup telecast rights negotiations, a spokesman for the Media Development Authority (MDA) said late on Thursday night: 'While the telecast of World Cup 2010 is a commercial decision as with previous World Cups, MDA understands the anxiety of football fans and has been monitoring the developments closely as well as encouraging SingTel, StarHub and MediaCorp to continue their negotiations with Fifa to telecast the World Cup in Singapore.
'We hope the negotiations will reach a sensible outcome that will benefit all football fans. We also urge fans to be patient to allow the negotiations to take its course.
On government funding, Ms Eileen Ang, MDA's Head of Competition and Market Access, said this is meant for content on free-to-air TV which goes towards a large number of public service broadcast (PSB) programmes that 'promote social objectives and national harmony'.
'It would therefore be difficult to meet requests for funding the World Cup broadcasts which do not meet these objectives,' she added.
In the latest turn to the saga, national broadcaster MediaCorp has submitted a bid to telecast the four key matches of the 2010 World Cup on free-to-air television. These are the opening game between host South Africa and Mexico on June 11, the semi-finals on July 6 and 7, and the final on July 11. MediaCorp confirmed that it has been in discussions with Fifa, the world soccer body which holds the rights to all 64 games played in South Africa.
SingTel and StarHub have put in a joint bid for the broadcast rights for the tournament which kicks off on June 11 and ends on July 11. Negotiations are still going on. Fifa is reportedly asking for $100 million for the matches to be shown here - a sum both telcos have baulked at, given that it is an $85 million increase over what StarHub reportedly paid in 2006.
http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_480660.html
:oIo::oIo::oIo::oIo::oIo::oIo::oIo::oIo::oIo::oIo::oIo:
Freaking Sinktel and Suxhub A.K.A. Government screwup bid for WC, now :oIo: at all football fans.