BTV to broadcast World Cup at minimal cost as rights sales cover expenses: State minister

State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Yasser Khan Choudhury has said that Bangladesh Television (BTV) will be able to broadcast the FIFA World Cup at a nominal cost as nearly the entire broadcasting expense has already been recovered through the sale of media rights and advertisements.

Speaking at a press conference held at the conference room of the Department of Information at the Secretariat on Tuesday, the state minister said a final agreement had been reached with FIFA for the World Cup broadcasting rights at a cost of $3.85 million.

He said the government had urged FIFA to sign the deal at a reasonable and affordable price and that the final agreement value was determined through a transparent process in line with relevant policies.

“The final contract value for broadcasting the World Cup has been fixed at only $3.85 million, which is equivalent to approximately Tk472.59 million at the current exchange rate,” he said.

According to the minister, the total cost, including VAT and income tax, will amount to about Tk637.99 million.

Yasser Khan Chowdhury, however, noted that BTV would not have to bear the expense directly.

“The good news for the people is that BTV will not have to pay this amount. We have been able to recover almost the entire cost by selling advertising and broadcasting rights to telecom operators, satellite television channels and OTT platforms in accordance with the policy guidelines,” he said.

“As a result, BTV will be able to telecast the World Cup matches at a nominal cost,” the state minister added.