The Fifa World Cup 2022 comes to an end this Sunday, but the ugly game over the 600-million-baht subsidy the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) paid to secure the broadcasting rights will continue.
Last week, the NBTC demanded that the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) return 600 million baht, citing a breach of a memorandum of understanding on the granting of the subsidy.
Defiantly, SAT governor Kongsak Yodmanee said this week that if the NBTC wants the SAT to return the 600 million baht, the matter may have to go to court.
It came after True Corp, which was given exclusive rights to broadcast matches on IPTV and over-the-air platforms by the SAT, secured a court order stopping other IPTV operators from airing the matches, which violates the NBTC's "must have and must carry" rule.
To show World Cup matches in the country, True helped by paying 300 million baht, while other firms chipped in 400 million baht.
But many questions have been raised about the roles of the NBTC and the SAT after both behaved like businesses in the sports broadcasting industry.
Despite their good intentions in letting Thais watch all World Cup matches for free, both agencies deserve a yellow or even a red card.
The NBTC hastily rushed to make a governmental decision, even after Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon publicly promised that Thais would be able to watch all 64 World Cup matches for free and asked the agency to carry out the task.
That was because over a decade ago, the NBTC enacted its "must have" policy, which forces all private licence holders to broadcast seven types of sporting events, including the World Cup, for free on every platform.
It is reported that NBTC board members were told by the acting chair to hold an urgent meeting to approve the subsidy only a few days before the World Cup started on Nov 11. The NBTC board voted 4-2 to grant only 600 million baht to the SAT. The total cost for the World Cup broadcasting licence is 1.4 billion baht, plus tax and other expenses.
The NBTC must revise its "must have" and "must carry" policy right away, and remove the Fifa World Cup from the subsidy list. The World Cup is premium content, and the licence is expensive. The NBTC should instead let the market decide whether it wants the World Cup.
Above all, the agency must show it is a good regulator, not an instrument of the government's questionable policy. The NBTC must have the political courage to say "no" if policies or government requests are irrational.
The SAT must explain to the public why it assigned exclusive rights to True to air the matches on an exclusive platform. That goes against NBTC policy to use the public's money to help all people -- rich or poor.
As the agency that promotes sports, the SAT must show it is good at upholding fair play. The current MoU it signed with True did not point in that direction.
For the sake of the beautiful game, it is hoped that these unsightly practices will no longer take place during the Fifa World Cup 2026.
