Prawit said that the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) will use its budget to purchase the broadcast rights for the World Cup, which kicks off in Qatar from November 21 to December 18. “The deal has yet to be finalised, but the budget will come from the NBTC,” the deputy PM said. The World Cup is one of the sport events under the “must-have” rule imposed by the NBTC since 2012 to be made available for free on television. Other sport events covered by this rule are: the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, SEA Games, Asean Para Games, Asian Games and Asian Para Games. It is best to finish negotiating the deal as soon as possible, because the price will usually go up closer to the event, he said.
