Thursday, July 30, 2009

TVOne announces EPL package for fans

Local broadcaster TVOne announced Wednesday it would air next season's Barclays English Premier League soccer matches live, but questions remain over how many big matches are included in the package.

The private station said it would broadcast 53 EPL matches live and 10 delayed, as of August.
The TVOne management said the package would include several big matches - featuring defending champion Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal - including an Arsenal vs. United game on Aug. 29 at 11:10 p.m.
"We don't know precisely how many big matches we'll be allowed to broadcast, because we haven't received the schedule yet," TVOne vice president director Anindya Ardiansyah Bakrie said at Wednesday's press conference.

"The dates for a number of matches are not fixed yet, pending the progress of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup.

"Nonetheless, we hold the rights to broadcast live all the 11 p.m. matches. So we hope there'll be some big matches played during that time slot," he said.

Anindya added the station was second in line to the rights to 7-9 p.m. matches.
"From observing past seasons, we've learned that almost every week, one of the top-four EPL clubs plays in the 11 p.m. slot," said TVOne manager Antariksawan Jusuf.

"There's a more than 50 percent chance one of the top four clubs will play in that time slot this season."