The government is buying the broadcast rights to show this year’s football World Cup matches from FIFA, the sport’s governing body. The rights are being bought for Bangladesh Television (BTV) through the direct-purchase method (DPM), without any tender. The total cost is Tk 72.7 crore (727 million taka) — Tk 25 crore (250 million) less than last time.
On Sunday, the matter received in-principle approval at a meeting of the cabinet committee on economic affairs in the parliament’s cabinet room. The proposal to buy the broadcast rights directly from FIFA was then approved at a meeting of the cabinet committee on government purchases. Both meetings were chaired by Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury. The finance ministry said the proposal, presented by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, had been approved.
This grandest event in world football begins on 11 June. It is the 23rd World Cup, running from 11 June to 19 July 2026, jointly hosted in 16 cities across the three North American countries of Canada, Mexico and the United States. According to the information ministry, all rights to show every World Cup match on BTV are being bought for 3.85 million US dollars; at 122.77 taka per dollar, that comes to Tk 47.2685 crore in local currency, and with VAT and taxes the total reaches Tk 72.7 crore. As a result, this World Cup is expected to be watchable on BTV without any cable network or satellite connection. For the previous, 2022, World Cup, BTV followed a much more complex process and bought the rights for Tk 98 crore, sold to it by Tama Construction and Company.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report