Cable Thai Holding (CTH), the newly established cable TV operator, will likely win broadcast rights for English Premier League (EPL) games for the next three seasons with an "incredibly high" bid _ possibly US$300 million, says a source close to the deal.
That would be five times what TrueVisions, the current EPL rights holder, paid for the previous three seasons ending this past May.
Wichai Thongtang, the major shareholder in CTH, did not confirm that his company won the EPL bid.
"If CTH wins the EPL broadcast rights, we are ready to partner with anybody else," he said.
CTH competed with four other bidders _ TrueVisions, GMM Grammy, RS and Channel 7, which joined with Malaysian IT TV operator Cubic Associates Group on its bid.
The source said the five bidders proposed their prices and broadcast plans during the first round last Thursday, and a second round took place yesterday.
If it wins, CTH will hold the broadcast rights for the next three seasons, from 2013-14 to 2015-16.
The league runs from August to May each year, with 380 matches a season.
Bidders for EPL broadcast rights over the next three seasons in several countries are expected to pay more for the licences.
The recent winner for rights in Hong Kong recently agreed to pay 30% above what the current rights holder paid.
CTH set aside 20 billion baht to lay down a nationwide fibre-optic network to provide cable TV, broadband internet and other services.
An industry source said TrueVisions' pay-TV business will suffer greatly due to fierce competition if it fails to win the rights. Many subscribers chose it primarily because they want to watch high-quality content such as EPL matches.