Officials announced on Tuesday that a group including BTV, T Sports, and Star News will purchase the broadcast rights for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, allaying concerns about a possible blackout of the competition in Bangladesh.
The agreement is expected to be finalised by June 4, just one week before the World Cup begins in the United States, Canada, and Mexico on June 11.
The rights are offered to be acquired for between USD 3 million and USD 4 million (about Tk 36-49 crore), despite the broadcasters' executives refusing to reveal the deal's price.
To enable all three broadcasters to broadcast the games live throughout the nation, it is also anticipated that state-owned BTV will first acquire the rights from FIFA before distributing them to the two private stations. Additionally, a digital streaming platform will provide live online coverage of the competition.
"We are attempting to broadcast the World Cup in the nation without using any public funds at all. Numerous parties are involved," Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapon said recently.
"We are attempting to negotiate with everyone,” he added.
According to a broadcast official with knowledge of the situation, the parties were nearing completion of the deal and were working to ensure a mutually beneficial outcome.
"The agreement is expected to be finalised in two days,” the official, who asked to remain anonymous, stated.
He also said that the deal is almost done.
However, the official acknowledged that the short amount of time left for commercial preparations put pressure on the broadcasters.
“If the deal had been concluded two months ago, it would have been ideal for everyone. Now we are having to make final preparations. The cost has been minimised, but our marketing window is very short,” he added.
Earlier in March, Singapore-based Springbok Pte Ltd acquired Bangladesh’s media rights package from FIFA for USD 7.211 million (approx. Tk 88 crore). The package included television, radio, mobile and internet broadcasting rights.
However, when BTV approached the company, it reportedly demanded USD 12.30 million (approx. Tk 151 crore), excluding applicable taxes, advance income tax and VAT. Factoring in taxes and VAT, the total cost would have been around Tk 200 crore. Springbok also sought significantly higher satellite rights fees than in previous editions.
The high asking price became a major obstacle for local broadcasters, particularly given the tournament’s match timings in Bangladesh.
Initially, T Sports, Star News and an event management company expressed interest in broadcasting the tournament at a substantially lower price, but Springbok was unwilling to reduce its demands.
As a result, Bangladeshi broadcasters remained reluctant to commit to a deal. However, Springbok eventually surrendered the rights last month after failing to sell them, paving the way for local broadcasters to negotiate directly with FIFA at a significantly lower cost.
Following lengthy negotiations, the parties now expect to finalise an agreement that will bring great relief to millions of football fans in Bangladesh.
