VIVIENNE CHOW VIVIENNE.CHOW@SCMP.COM
PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 23 September, 2015, 4:53pm
UPDATED : Wednesday, 23 September, 2015, 6:21pm
Former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel of Denmark shows he's still got a few tricks up his sleeve at a Le Sports media conference on Tuesday. Photo: K.Y. Cheng
A mystery over just how Hong Kong soccer fans will be able to catch English Premier League action next season seems to have ended with a dramatic conclusion as the current broadcaster and the internet company that has acquired the rights reach an agreement.
PCCW, which owns Hong Kong pay-television station Now TV, and Le Sports, operating under mainland Chinese web entertainment portal Letv, promise to cooperate with each other.
Schmeichel takes a few shots as the news of Letv gaining the broadcast rights of English Premier League matches goes public. Photo: Letv
“Le Sports and PCCW Media Limited jointly announce the two parties have reached an agreement in relation to the cooperation on the broadcast of the Premier League matches, and are actively discussing the execution details,” the two companies say in a joint statement today.
The latest news contradicted claims that Letv made just a day ago through its chief executive for Asia-Pacific, Mok Chui-tin: “We have not reached any agreement with any third party for a concrete plan.”
Letv Sports announces their broadcast rights of English Premier League.
On Tuesday, confusion arose over how exactly soccer fans could watch their favourite teams in action next year, after a deal worth a reported US$400 million left the rights to broadcast EPL games in the hands of an internet-only firm for the first time anywhere in the world.
At the time of the previous announcement, a flashy 2½-hour media launch offered an appearance from former Danish player Peter Schmeichel but no details of subscription plans. Mok said matches would be available to all web users – but hinted those who bought Letv’s television sets and smartphones would watch first.
“The audience can watch the games on our televisions and our mobile phones and, in future, they will be available to all internet users via our smartphone apps,” he said.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1860775/hong-kongs-pccw-and-mainland-chinas-letv-cooperate-air
