PUTRAJAYA: Maxis Bhd (Maxis) was announced as the main sponsor for the live telecast of 41 World Cup 2018 matches through Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM).
Information and Communications Minister, Gobind Singh Deo, said meanwhile, AirAsia Bhd (AirAsia) had agreed to a RM12 million sponsorship in the gold category, sealing the deal for the games’ telecast here, which costs an overall RM30 million.
He said there were other corporate bodies who had expressed interest to sponsor the telecast.
“RTM is still in a negotiation process with the interested parties. We encourage those interested to come forward. The RM30million is meant for the 41 World Cup matches, so other sponsorships could be used for promotional activities and even additional telecast for the remaining matches,” he said in a Press conference to launch FIFA World Cup 2018 the free live telecast today.
He said the government thrived in providing the platform for the people for different fields including patriotism, recreational and entertainment.
“We can’t deny the fact that football is a very popular sport among the people. Thus, the telecast agenda was given priority so that the message could be channeled effectively.
“The sponsorship is not only important in making that the World Cup telecast a success, but also a boost to RTM’s reputation,” said Gobind, who is a fan of Brazil football team.
Out of the 64 matches, RTM will show 41 matches, out of which 28 will be live and 13 delayed.
RTM allocates a total of 400 hours of telecast through TV1 and TV2 in the 21st FIFA World Cup, which will be held in Russia starting from June 14.
TV viewers also stand a chance to win flight tickets in a contest by AirAsia held throughout the tournament.