ARY, a Pakistani pay-TV operator, has secured sub-licensed rights in the country to soccer’s 2022 FIFA World Cup, which will take place in Qatar later this year.
The network has concluded the sub-licensing agreement with Viacom18, the joint venture between Indian corporate giant Reliance and the Paramount media network, which last year secured media rights to the top-tier soccer tournament across the entire Indian subcontinent.
ARY, it has said, will cover the tournament (which will be held in Qatar between November 21 and December 18) on both satellite and streaming channels – with the latter to be made available without charge.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia was shown in Pakistan by Sony Pictures Networks (SPN) India, through the Ten Sports subsidiary.
The state broadcaster, Pakistan Television, then bought joint rights from SPN for the last edition.
Last week, Austrian free-to-air broadcasters ServusTV and ORF struck a similar sub-licensing deal for World Cup rights – ORF holds rights to the Qatar tournament through a deal struck back in 2012, and has now parcelled a package of those (25 games) out to ServusTV.
ARY, meanwhile, also holds rights to top-tier international cricket, the Pakistan Super League domestic cricket tournament, and to motor racing’s prestigious Formula 1.
