Government's cost for World Cup broadcast nearly zero: Information Minister

Government's cost for World Cup broadcast nearly zero: Information Minister

The government's expenditure on broadcasting the FIFA World Cup 2026 has been brought down to nearly zero by directly purchasing the media rights and sub-licensing them. Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan said that an investigation is underway into the role of intermediaries in the 2022 broadcast rights deal.

He made these remarks at a press conference on the World Cup 2026 broadcast at the Information Department's conference room at the Secretariat on Sunday (July 19).

The Minister said Bangladesh directly purchased the media rights from FIFA for $3.85 million this time. Almost the entire amount was recovered through sub-licensing to four domestic entities. As a result, the government's net cash expenditure is limited to approximately Tk 3-5 crore, which he expressed hope could be covered through further negotiations .

He said that in 2022, the broadcast rights were bought from FIFA for $3.2 million but came to Bangladesh through intermediaries. At that time, BTV purchased the rights for Tk 98 crore and sold various rights to private broadcasters for about another Tk 39 crore. The total transaction amounted to approximately Tk 140 crore, which, he alleged, was a centre of corruption and plunder .

The Minister said the funds to pay FIFA's $3.85 million this time were also collected from private sources through sub-licensing. The remaining deficit of Tk 3-5 crore will also be recovered through sub-licensing. As a result, the government's financial burden for broadcasting the World Cup has been reduced to nearly zero .

He stated that the government's direct deal with FIFA eliminated the scope for intermediaries, which is good news for the nation. No pressure was placed on government revenue, saving state funds while allowing millions of football fans to enjoy the tournament without interruption .

The Minister claimed that efforts were made to ensure transparency while reducing costs in World Cup broadcast management, which helped prevent wastage of public money .

Asked whether the allegations of corruption in the 2022 rights purchase would be referred to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), the Minister said the law is taking its own course and the necessary processes are underway.