The Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) must return the 600 million baht granted to it to fund the purchase of the World Cup broadcasting rights and cannot avoid doing so by revoking a contract signed with True Corp, National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission (NBTC) member Pirongrong Ramasoota says.
Last week the NBTC demanded the SAT return within 15 days the money citing a breach of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed upon its granting of the subsidy.
The move came after True Corp, which the SAT granted exclusive rights to tournament broadcasts including on IPTV and over-the-air platforms, secured a court order prohibiting other IPTV operators from airing the matches.
Writing on Facebook, Ms Pirongrong, an NBTC commissioner who opposed the granting of the funds, said she wanted to clarify two points surrounding the dispute between the SAT and the regulator over the broadcasting of World Cup matches as it is likely to go before the court.
Ms Pirongrong said the SAT was fully aware of the "must-have" and "must-carry" regulations when signing the MoU, so any limitations arising from the contract it signed with a third party could not justify its failure to honour the MoU.
The rules require companies holding broadcast rights for seven sporting events, including the World Cup, to allow the programming to air on free TV. The programmes aired on free TV must also be broadcast on any platform without conditions, including internet protocol TV (IPTV).
In defiance of the NBTC's resolution, the SAT refused to return the money and challenged the NBTC to seek a court ruling over the most-watched event in the global sporting calendar among Thais.