Football fans can look forward to all the thrills and excitement of international football on local television for the next three years, following the announcement yesterday that Guardian Media Limited (GML) has acquired the licence to broadcast all Fifa events until 2018.
The announcement that GML was the media rights licensee was revealed yesterday in a collaborative launch between GML and DirecTV Caribbean, which essentially gave exclusive free- to-air television rights to GML’s CNC3 station.
The partnership was signed by GML managing director Lisa Agard and Direct TV’s Caribbean general manager Bernard Pantin.
Agard said GML had always given high priority to highlighting sports locally, regionally and internationally.
“This solidifies our intention to be a major player in sports entertainment. We are pleased to give football and Fifa new home in T&T and we plan to serve the public well,” she said.
She said GML was ecstatic about the acquisition, which included the right to simulcast its free-to-air channel CNC3 via broadband transmission and non exclusive radio rights to Fifa events from 2015 to 2018, when the World Cup will be staged in Russia.
Apart from the World Cup finals in Russia, CNC3 will also broadcast the Fifa Women’s World Cup, which starts in Canada later this year, the Confederations Cup and all Fifa Under-17 and Under-20 World Cup matches, among other Fifa events.
The agreement also provides radio rights to be transmitted on 100.5FM, 95.1FM, 106.1FM, 99.5FM, 105.1FM, and 106.5FM.
Agard said GML was delighted to bring the biggest sporting events in the world into the homes of fans in T&T.
“The 2014 World Cup was one of the most exciting events ever witnessed. We saw some of the top teams, such as England, Spain and Italy, being eliminated in the first round while our Concacaf colleagues Costa Rica and Mexico did us proud.
“It will be nice to see some more Caribbean teams featuring in finals at the next World Cup.”
Pantin said his company was pleased to partner with GML.
“By acquiring Caribbean Media Rights to Fifa matches, we are delivering more football than ever before with the latest technology, thereby expanding the viewership for the game at all levels,” he said.
He said the move also affirmed DirecTV’s commitment to football in T&T and provided the company with an opportunity to deepen its relationship with the sport and continue to grow its base of supporters.
GML also has the rights for the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), the major T20 cricket tournament in the region with a host of international stars, which bowls off on June 20.