The source told The Nation on condition of anonymity that CTH, the country’s second-largest pay-TV operator, failed to reach a sub-licence agreement with BeIN Sports to continue live broadcasts in Thailand, Cambodia and Laos of the top-rated English soccer league for the coming seasons.

Both CTH and TrueVisions Group were invited to bid for sub-licensing contracts from BeIN Sports, which recently secured audio and visual broadcasting rights to EPL matches for three seasons starting this year. Each season, 380 matches can be telecast live.

The source said CTH could not accept the conditions presented by the rights holder, as the cost had risen by 50 per cent from what CTH paid in a previous deal for these same broadcasting rights – although CTH would also have secured broadcasting rights to other major sport events via BeIN Sports channels.

Previously, BeIN Sports, an affiliate of Al Jazeera news agency, reportedly offered the EPL about US$250 million (Bt8.9 billion) to clinch the deal over the two bids from Thailand – CTH and TrueVisions.

The source said that even though BeIN Sports offered CTH a non-exclusive deal covering the English

soccer league and Spanish La Liga and other top-ranked sport tournaments through its channels, CTH finally declined to accept the offer.

“Compared with Fox International Channels, the Qatari media company’s deal

appears to be more costly because BeIN Sport focuses only on sport-oriented live programmes, while Fox has many thing to offer ranging from sports to entertainment and lifestyle programmes,” the source added.

In a previous interview, Sueksith Cholasuek, marketing director of TrueVisions Group, said his company’s negotiations with BeIN Sports to broadcast live EPL matches were in the final stages. If a deal were concluded, the matches might air via BeIN Sports channels 1-4, but with the large number of live matches per season, there might be an additional channel as well.

However, so far there is no confirmation on whether TrueVisions has clinched a deal, exclusive or non-exclusive, with BeIN Sports to broadcast EPL matches.