Local football fans finally have a chance to watch all Euro 2020 matches live, starting with the first game between Italy and Turkey in the wee hours of Saturday.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha gave the go-ahead for the state-owned broadcaster NBT2HD to carry the matches, Prime Minister’s Office Minister Anucha Nakasai said on Friday.
The live programming would be available throughout the tournament that ends on July 11.
Mr Anucha said businessman Komol Jungrungreangkit had bought the rights to the tournament for Thailand and allowed NBT to broadcast the games. The rights reportedly cost around 300 million baht.
Mr Komol is the chairman of the Pinehurst Golf Club in Pathum Thani and an elder brother of Industry Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit. He also owns Summit Footwear Co, which manufactures the Aerosoft brand, and is the major shareholder in SET-listed Better World Green Plc, an industrial waste management company.
The Euro 2020 tournament, which had been postponed for a year because of the Covid pandemic, kicks off at 2am (Thailand time) on Saturday between Italy and Turkey at the Olympic Stadium in Rome.
This year’s tournament is being played for the first time all across the continent, with 11 cities from as far apart as Seville to Baku hosting matches.
Matches are being played in front of limited crowds and with stringent health restrictions in place.