Vice Chairman of the SEA Games Federation council, Chaipak Siriwat, is optimistic that Cambodia will agree to reduce the 28-million baht broadcast rights fee being demanded from Thailand when representatives of the Sports Authority of Thailand travel to Phnom Penh this week to negotiate.
Thailand has asked Cambodia to lower the fees, claiming that they are too high. The Cambodian side has claimed, however, that the fees were assessed based on market value in Thailand.
Since live broadcasts of the SEA Games, which are due start in May, are in the Thai regulator’s “Must Have” category and, therefore, must be broadcast for public viewing free of charge, the Sports Authority of Thailand is seeking funding from the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, despite protests from various sectors, saying the public will not miss anything if the games are not broadcast live.
Additionally, Chaipak, who is also vice president of the National Olympic Committee of Thailand, said that the council of the SEA Games Federation has agreed to amend the SEA Games Charter to limit the number of the host nation’s local sports which can be included in the games, to prevent an advantage being gained by the host.
