RTM to air 27 World Cup matches live (Updated)

PUTRAJAYA: The cabinet at its second weekly meeting today approved the live broadcast of the 2018 FIFA World Cup on RTM, said Communications and Multimedia (MCMC) Minister Gobind Singh Deo.
The broadcast will cost about RM40 million.
Gobind said of the total 64 matches in the tournament, 27 will be aired live over RTM, while the remaining 14 matches will be delayed telecasts.
He however said the details will be provided by the Finance Ministry in a press conference tomorrow.
"The matter was raised at today's meeting of the Cabinet. The cost and how we are going to deal with the matter will be disclosed by the Finance Minister (Lim Guan Eng) tomorrow.
"I can say now that the figures discussed in the Cabinet earlier could be about RM40 million, but of course there would be sponsors and so forth, who will absorb a substantial part of it," he told reporters at the MCMC headquarters, here today.
Gobind then explained that the amount mentioned is actually the ceiling cost of broadcasting the tournaments for free.
"We have a ceiling of RM40 million but I expect it to be lower, because normally if there is a ceiling, we will engage with sponsors through direct negotiations, and through these negotiations we will try to reduce the cost further," Gobind added.
Among those who had put forward the suggestion of airing the World Cup matches live was Muar MP Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman.
It is learned that there are two types of broadcasting rights for the tournament – Pay TV and Free-To-Air rights or FTA.
In Malaysia the Pay TV broadcasting rights is held by satellite television network Astro. RTM is expected to take up the FTA.
The World Cup, which will see the participation of 32 nations, will be held in Russia from June 14 to July 15.