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MUMBAI:
The Football Association (FA) has issued an invitation to
tender for its broadcast rights for all territories outside
the UK for the four-year period from 2008 - 2012.
Future
overseas partnerships will run parallel with the FA's record
new £425 million domestic broadcast deal with ITV and
Setanta, which represented a 42 per cent increase over the
existing contract, allowing the FA to significantly increase
its reinvestment into the game.
The
FA is inviting bids across four overseas packages covering
the FA Cup, FA Community Shield and other FA competitions,
as well as England Senior and U21 matches. Bids are expected
to be received by 28 September.
There
are two packages of live games covering the FA Cup and England
respectively and two delayed rights packages, which include
highlights and various clip and edit rights. All rights will
be available across three distinct platforms incorporating
traditional broadcast, internet and mobile use.
The
tender represents the broadest set of rights packages that
the FA have offered to the international market, and has been
structured to ensure that the FA’s games are widely available
to a range of different broadcasters and audiences, and are
accessible via a variety of viewing platforms.
FA
Group commercial director Jonathan Hill said, "We consistently
see significant viewing figures for England and FA Cup matches
which underline the immense popularity of our broadcast properties,
both in England and abroad. The new packages are tailored
to the modern market and provide broadcasters with flexibility
and a wide range of options, and we are confident that interest
in our rights internationally is high and competition for
the rights will be intense."
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