MFA explain TV rights contracts

Public Broadcasting Services are the sole bidders for the contract to provide live coverage of the competitive home matches of the national team and the Malta U-21 side for the next 18 months.

The tender process for the television rights for international games concluded recently while that for the live transmission of the BOV Premier League and U*Bet FA Trophy will run from February 6 to March 2.

Addressing a news conference on Thursday, MFA CEO Bjorn Vassallo said that the association was seeking to gain maximum benefit from the TV rights deal for local matches in order to reinvest the money into clubs.

Vassallo said public interest in the national teams has increased since TVM, the national television station, began to show the home matches live.

Chris Bonett, the head of the MFA’s legal department, explained the finer details of the bidding process for the television broadcast rights deal covering domestic matches.

Tenders can be collected from the MFA offices against a payment of €100 and the minimum bid has been set at €130,000.

Dr Bonett explained that the MFA have introduced a new two-tier concept for the TV rights contract for domestic matches.

“Apart from the first-pick games, we are also offering a bundle of second-pick live matches,” Dr Bonett said.

“Under the existing contract, 42 matches (first-pick) are shown live every season but the number will rise to 52 owing to the increase in the number of the clubs in the Premier League.”

The winning bidder will select the 52 first-choice matches. Companies can vie for the two batches of matches but the contracts will not necessarily be awarded to the same bidder.

The television house that secures the second-pick offer will have the right to screen 32 live matches that are not included in the first-pick package.

The contract is for the next three seasons.