ELTA TV yesterday announced that it has obtained the exclusive rights to broadcast all of the 2014 FIFA World Cup matches across the nation this summer, while Chunghwa Telecom is to air the games online.
An ELTA TV executive said the network inked a deal to secure all the media rights to air the tournament taking place in Brazil in Taiwan with world soccer’s governing body, FIFA, and that it will collaborate with Chunghwa Telecom to make matches available on mobile devices and computers.
ELTA TV and Chunghwa Telecom officials said that all 64 World Cup games would be available to viewers, from the June 13 kick-off to the final on July 14.
The network will air the ties on its channel, which is available on Chunghwa Telecom’s Multimedia-on-Demand (MOD) cable subscription and Video-on-Demand services.
To watch the fixtures online, fans can access the telecom’s HiNet service at www.hinet.net, or use its “Hami” app to see the games on smartphones or tablets, Chunghwa Telecom said.
“It will be a month-long soccer carnival in Brazil. We are happy to announce that the Taiwanese public will not miss out on this big, international sports event,” Chunghwa Telecom president Shih Mu-piao (石木標) said at a press conference yesterday.
Although the pricing of the deal was not disclosed, the telecom expects the games to raise revenue from its MOD service to NT$2.6 billion this year from NT$2.2 billion last year (US$85.7 million from US$72.6 million).
ELTA TV executive director Chen Yi-chun (陳怡君) said that since the network has been airing games from top European and Asian leagues for years, it has soccer experts and commentators lined up for the World Cup broadcasts, including Max Shih and Bill Hsieh.
Ratings figures show that 10.06 million people in Taiwan watched the World Cup games beamed from South Africa in 2010 and officials expect that number to rise dramatically this year due to increased interest in the sport in Taiwan and the proliferation of Internet-capable cellphones and tablets.
ELTA TV said that due to the 11-hour time difference between Taiwan and Brazil, many games will be shown in the mornings in East Asia. However, Taiwanese can opt to watch the ties at a more convenient time through Chunghwa Telecom’s affiliated Internet services.
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