EPL Moves to Cable in Hong Kong

November 17, 2009 World Screen

HONG KONG: Coverage of the Barclays Premier League in Hong Kong is returning to cable platform i-CABLE beginning in the 2010/2011 season after three years on PCCW’s IPTV platform now TV.

In a brief statement, i-CABLE said the three-year deal would be "beneficial to both our viewers and our business." It continued: "We are bound by confidentiality obligation not to disclose the bidding price, but it is consistent with our policy to acquire quality programs at commercially viable prices."

PCCW, meanwhile, said in its statement: "The savings from the BPL investment and our overall strong content lineup will help improve the profitability of now TV for the benefit of both shareholders and customers." The statement noted that PCCW’s acquisition of EPL three years ago was in line with its "strategic objectives" at the time. "While BPL is a good property, the company took a disciplined approach this year in submitting aggressive bids. We do not consider it in the interest of our customers or shareholders to bid higher and make it unaffordable to viewers."

"We don’t think it is right to continue to bid up the price to acquire the BPL at an uneconomic price, since ultimately these costs will be reflected in prices which would be too high for consumers to pay," explained Alex Arena, the group managing director of PCCW. "We can now allocate more resources to develop new content and enhance the overall viewing experience in relation to our local entertainment and movie offerings, as well as sports content."

In related news, PCCW announced the acquisition of La Liga Spanish football games for the 2009/2010 to 2011/2012 seasons. Starting November 22, 2009, Now TV will be exclusively broadcasting up to 190 matches each season. "La Liga is undoubtedly one of the top football leagues in the world today," Arena said. "It has always been commanding a sizeable base of loyal viewers in Hong Kong and has become more popular with the joining of high-flying footballers to some of the participating Spanish clubs."