STC’s sports TV contract is ‘biggest in the Middle East’

Saudi Telecom Company has signed a contract for TV and digital broadcasting and marketing sponsorships with the General Sport Authority and the Saudi Arabian Football Federation. The contract will last 10 years starting from season 2018-19.
The deal will cost SR660 million ($176 million) a year, and it will be self-funded. It will cost SR6.6 billion over the lifespan of the contract.
It includes the matches of Saudi Professional League (SPL), cup competitions, and Saudi national team matches. STC’s contract is considered to the biggest in the Middle East and in the history of Saudi sport sponsorships.
STC declared that it would launch Dawri Plus channels to broadcast the competitions, which will allow viewers to watch all football matches through free and paid digital and traditional channels.
Nasser Al-Nasser, STC Group CEO, confirmed that STC will add value to the experience of watching sport competition in innovative ways.
The agreement will include the technical sponsorship of all sporting events and the marketing sponsorship of the SPL. The first official broadcast of Dawri Plus channels is for a Super Cup match on Aug. 18 in London.