I-Cable grabs Premier League rights in Hong Kong 18/11/2009 |
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Hong Kong cable TV broadcaster I-Cable has beaten IPTV rival Now TV to the rights to English Premier League football for the next three seasons.
The price of the deal was undisclosed but NOW TV’s parent PCCW confirmed that it had been outbid.
Group managing director of PCCW Alex Arena said: “We do not consider it in the interest of our customers or shareholders to bid higher and make it unaffordable to viewers.” PCCW is understood to have paid HK$1.56bn for the three seasons starting in 2007.
Commenting on the new deal, an I-Cable spokesman added: “It is consistent with our policy to acquire quality programmes at commercially viable prices.”
I-Cable also has the Hong Kong TV rights to the 2010 World Cup, the 2012 Olympic Games, UEFA Champions League games from the second half of this year, and football from Germany’s Bundesliga and Italy’s Serie A, while PCCW announced it had secured the rights to Spain’s La Liga for the next three seasons.
Arena said: “We can now allocate more resources to develop new content and enhance the overall viewing experience in relation to our local entertainment and movie offerings, as well as sports content. The acquisition of La Liga is an example.”
But the EPL rights are likely to be the most appealing to fans in Hong Kong and news of the deal sent I-Cable’s share price soaring.
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