Dhaka, Jul 19 (V7N)- Information Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan has alleged that the acquisition and distribution of broadcasting rights for the 2022 FIFA World Cup involved significant financial irregularities and unnecessary intermediary costs during the previous administration.

Speaking at a press conference at the Secretariat on Sunday (July 19), the minister claimed that despite the original broadcast rights being purchased for approximately $3.2 million, the process eventually resulted in transactions worth around Tk 140 crore through a series of intermediary agreements.

According to Swapan, a Singapore-based company initially acquired the 2022 World Cup broadcasting rights from FIFA before transferring them to Bangladeshi firm Tama Construction. He alleged that the company subsequently sold satellite broadcasting rights to Bangladesh Television (BTV) for Tk 98 crore, while additional rights were licensed to T Sports and Toffee for Tk 22 crore and Tk 17 crore respectively.

The minister described the arrangement as an example of excessive intermediary involvement and claimed that public funds were unnecessarily spent through the process.

Swapan said that for the current World Cup, the government pursued direct negotiations with FIFA to reduce costs and avoid intermediary expenses. He stated that, following discussions with relevant stakeholders, BTV was able to acquire broadcasting rights directly from FIFA for approximately $3.85 million.

He further claimed that the government’s financial exposure in the current broadcasting arrangement has been reduced significantly and that ongoing discussions with sublicense holders could potentially eliminate the remaining deficit.

According to the minister, if projected advertising revenues are achieved by participating broadcasters and sublicense partners, the government may not need to incur any additional expenditure related to the tournament's broadcast rights.

The allegations come amid renewed scrutiny of public procurement and media rights agreements, although no formal investigation findings regarding the 2022 broadcasting deal were announced during the briefing.

END/SMA/AJ