TrueVisions, Thailand's leading pay-TV operator, along with its "arch rival" CTH, is "vying for exclusive rights to the next season of the English Premier League" in a bid to strengthen its position as the top platform for sport, according to Srisamorn Phoosuphanusorn of the BANGKOK POST. Broadcasting giants "are preparing for a bidding battle." The winner "will have the rights to broadcast its matches starting from next year." TrueVisions and CTH "have voiced strong intent to purchase EPL broadcast rights for this season." This year's auction "may face uncertainty as a group of digital TV operators in Thailand are also expected to participate as they hope the EPL will be a most desired feature for their channel lineups and boost viewership." True Corp. President & CEO Suphachai Chearavanont said, "We will fight to the end to win the live broadcasting rights for the next EPL auction that will take place in the next two months." However, Suphachai said the bidding price for the rights must be "acceptable and common value" as well as make sound business sense. The EPL "is seen as the type of premium content that could help TrueVisions regain customers after it lost the previous bid to CTH." But Suphachai said that the EPL "is not the only thing that people want to watch." It "is also not the most valuable part of his company's content." He said, "Without EPL last time, we continued with business as usual." CTH won the broadcast rights for the league's '13-15 season in what the industry termed "the incredibly highest bid price offered." The bid was said to exceed 10B baht ($296M) (BANGKOK POST, 6/8).
