All World Cup matches will be broadcast on free-to-air television following an agreement on Thursday that the National Broadcasting and telecommunications Commission (NBTC) will pay RS Plc, the holder of Thai broadcasting rights for the World Cup, a total of 427.015 million baht.
Thailand Post in Nakhon Ratchasima province organises an activity to promote World Cup 2014. The post office expects to sell 12 million postcards to people in five lower Northeastern provinces to guess the winner.
The announcement followed talks on Thursday, just hours before the 2014 tournament kicks off in Brazil on Friday morning, Thai time.
It means all 64 matches will be shown on free TV.
NBTC secretary-general Thakorn Tanthasit said Thailand broadcast rights holder RS plc wanted 766.515 million baht in compensation for lost opportunities for the sale of set-top boxes, sub-licencing to True Visions and revenue from sales.
The NBTC argued 427.015 million baht as more appropriate, lower than the first figure of 492.481 million baht proposed by the management committee of the Broadcasting and Telecommunications Research Development Fund for the Public Interest (BTFP).
Mr Thakorn said there was no discussion on how to compensate people who had already bought set-top boxes from RS so they could watch the games.
The army's Channel 5 will broadcast 38 matches, including the opening and the closing ceremonies, the army-frequency owned Channel 7 will show 29 matches and cable Channel 8, operated by RS, will broadcast 56 matches.
Some matches would be aired by more than one channel.
The decision to spend public funds ensuring the broadcast of a football tournament many people do not want to watch has sparked heated debate, and much criticism, in the social media.
Saree Ongsomwang, secretary-general of the Foundation for Consumers, said the NBTC should not use public funds to compensate RS. Instead Channel 5 and Channel 7 should pay RS from money generated airing commercials during the tournament.
RS itself should be responsible for refunding people who want to return the set-top boxes they purchased to watch the cup.
The government should also look into ways to prevent the private sector entering into a contract with coverage beyond domestic law, and amend the Copyright Act to create a balance in protecting rights holders and consumers.
The regulator and RS disagreed on whether the 64 matches should be aired on free TV, as the NCPO had demanded.
Before this agreement, only people with RS set-top boxes and subscribers of pay-TV True Vision could view all matches. Only 22 matches were to be broadcast on two free channels, Channel 7 and Channel 8.
The Supreme Administrative Court ruled on Wednesday that RS owns the broadcasts rights and did not have to broadcast all matches on free television, as demanded by the NBTC.
The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) intervened in the dispute and suggested the NBTC negotiate with RS on the issue of compensation.