Popular Cambodian TV network BTV are to return as live broadcasters for the Cambodian Premier League (CPL) after a one season hiatus related to fees for broadcasting rights.
The news came via a Telegram ,message released by Cambo Talk, although exact details were not provided, such as how many games would be covered, or what if any fee had been paid.
The news though came as somewhat of a shock, with BPVE just today reporting on the lack of coverage for the CPL compared to the Hun Sen Cup.
To read our Hun Sen Cup roundup click here.
Why did BTV not cover the 2022 CPL season?
It is understood that BTV did not previously pay to cover the former MetFone C-League, but instead paid all expenses for sending full camera crews to all games. This included and still does regional matches of the Hun Sen Cup. Quite literally if there was any club football at any level within the Kingdom, BTV were there.
At the advent of the CPL, new CEO Satoshi stated, correctly that rights to broadcast football were an essential revenue stream for many countries, and Cambodia should be no different. His plans were at the time to try and raise $3 million through TV and other sponsorships.. Sadly this meant a deal could not be reached with BTV, with many fans and stakeholders alike feeling that the CPL did not necessarily understand the unique circumstances of the deal with BTV.
You can read the Satoshi Interview here.
What does this mean for clubs?
Sadly no TV coverage during 2022 did not just mean that matches were harder to watch, but that sponsorship for clubs and indeed even the CPL were much more difficult to come by. Why would you sponsor a billboard at a stadium when no one would see it?
And of course watching matches was also a streaming mess. Yes clubs had the right to show their own games, but alas your average CPL 2 club is not exactly Barcelona. Having streaming rights is great in theory, filming and selling them is not all that easy.
This change should it come to pass will not only bring in more sponsors, but actually do what the CPL was supposed to, raise the profile of the game, even if it is just to the same level as the glory days of the old CNCC 13 team C-League.
This article is adapted from BPVE, (https://bpve.com/) reported and edited from the great team – Cambodia Sports Review. (https://www.cambodiasportsreview.com/)
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