ABC Managing Dir Mark Scott has revealed the broadcaster's "successful bid to wrest the Asian Cup tournament from
SBS was made in part with funds from Football Federation Australia," according to Bodey & Gatt of THE AUSTRALIAN. Scott confirmed the FFA had asked the ABC to bid
for the rights from the overall rightsholder, Fox Sports, "which bought
them from the Asian Football Confederation." The FFA
and Fox (a News Corp. Australia company) reportedly were "not satisfied with an
existing bid by SBS, with which the FFA has a fractured relationship." Scott: "The
reality is there was no guarantee this was going to be shown on
free-to-air television." Scott added that the ABC's bid "wasn't
high enough to release it" and "the price would have to be reached one
way or another." Consequently, "supplementary money (was) put in by
FFA."
It is not known how much the ABC and FFA paid, "although one party to
the deal said it was much lower" than the speculated A$1.4M ($1.2M). SBS
is believed to have bid A$700,000 ($610,200) (THE AUSTRALIAN, 11/18).
