JEDDAH, 19 May — More than 1,800 Saudis are subscribing daily to satellite TV in preparation for the forthcoming World Cup, and that number is expected to double in the next two weeks. In the past, the ministries of information in the Arab world carried the burden of paying for the broadcasting rights for international sporting events, but now that situation has changed.
However, Abdul Rahman Al-Daouk, head of the Saudi Company for Digital Distribution, told Arab News that Saudis still need more time to come to terms with the fact that the next World Cup will not be available for free.
“If they do not subscribe, they won’t be able to enjoy the games. It’s as simple as that,” he said. “But the increase in new subscribers is gathering pace. Before May, we had an average of 750 new subscribers a day, but since then we’ve been getting 1,800 new subscribers daily in the Kingdom alone,” he added.
Asked whether the decision by Saleh Kamel, the owner of the ART channels who bought the broadcasting rights for the World Cup in the Middle East, to give Saudi TV the right to broadcast the Saudi national team games for free would reduce local demand for subscriptions, Al-Daouk said: “Not at all, the games of the Saudi national team will not be enough in themselves to satisfy the tournament’s viewers, because they want to see the other games — and they’re not available for those who have not subscribed.”
