Sports Authority ordered to repay THB600 million or terminate True World Cup contract

The chairman of the NBTC board, Sorana Boonbaichaipreug, declared on Friday that the SAT had 15 days to refund the money, and a 5% interest fee would be assessed for late payment. Sorana alleged that the SAT violated the “must-have” condition, which states that all individuals must have unlimited access to World Cup broadcasts because other internet TV providers were unable to display the events. Sorana noted that the NBTC has transferred 600 million baht to the SAT in response to the SAT’s budget appeal. Sorana asserted that the SAT violated the “must have” condition when it granted True Corp exclusive rights to online broadcasts. He added that he had no idea where the SAT would obtain the funds to repay the loan if the organization had no remaining funds. He continued by stating that the NBTC would be required to launch a case against the SAT in Administrative Court if the SAT did not reimburse the NBTC within the next fifteen days or terminate its agreement with True Corp. He stated that the NBTC, in its capacity as a regulator, was unable to actively intervene in the transaction between SAT and True which violated the “must have” condition. Sorana indicated that the NBTC would also consult with the Attorney General’s Office. He also acknowledged that the regulation that specifies players “must have” will be examined after the World Cup in an effort to prevent future incidents of this sort.

The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) delivered an ultimatum to the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) on Friday. Either the SAT must repay the funds allotted for World Cup broadcasting rights, or it must terminate its broadcast agreement with True Corporation. The SAT was given an ultimatum when the NBTC voted unanimously on Thursday to demand the return of the 600 million baht it had granted the SAT in order to purchase the broadcast rights from Fifa.