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Channel 7 eyes sports eventsNov 22, 2012 (Bangkok Post - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Channel 7 insists it will spend 1 billion baht in the next two to four years to secure more broadcast rights for big sporting events in a bid to strengthen its viewership. Palakorn Somsuwan, assistant managing director for programming and advertising of Bangkok Broadcasting & TV Co (BBTV), the broadcaster of Channel 7, said it was trying to secure more broadcast rights for sports events at national, regional and international levels, particularly when Thai teams are competing. "Channel 7 has positioned itself as a sports channel for Thai people for a long time, so we will try to make our audiences happy to watch more sport games," he said. BBTV now has broadcast rights for English football's FA Cup for six years starting from this year, German football's FA Pokal, the Asean Football Championship (AFF Suzuki Cup 2012 and AFF Cup in 2014) and live coverage of boxing from Top Rank, a major promoter. The rights for the AFF Suzuki Cup 2012 are for free and internet TV via its Bugaboo TV, while the 2014 tournament will be an all-rights broadcast. Channel 7 will broadcast only Thailand's matches, starting at 8.20 pm, while soap operas will be cancelled. All matches can be viewed at Bugaboo TV. "We are looking to get broadcast rights for volleyball games. It's gaining popularity among Thais after the women's national team won the gold medal in the Asian Cup Volleyball Championship," said Mr Palakorn. Channel 7 has various broadcast platforms, including free TV, internet TV and cable, to help it manage broadcast rights efficiently and reach more viewers. "What Channel 7 does for sports broadcasts on free TV is to serve the must-have and must-carry policies of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission. This ensures wider coverage," Mr Palakorn said. He said sports content is extremely important, with very high bidding prices to secure broadcast rights. However, most broadcast rights for major events, particularly football, are with cable and satellite TV operators, not free TV. Like dislike 0 people liked / 0 people disliked this article ___ (c)2012 the Bangkok Post (Bangkok, Thailand) Visit the Bangkok Post (Bangkok, Thailand) at www.bangkokpost.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |