The Lagardère Sports agency has finalised three free-to-air deals for rights to the 2018 Association of Southeast Asian Nations Football Federation (AFF) Championship.
Lagardère on Friday (August 31) announced it had struck deals with public-service broadcasters in Vietnam (VTV), Brunei (RTB) and Laos (TVLao). The deals cover rights to the biennial national-team tournament, better known as the Suzuki Cup. Lagardère holds commercial rights to the four Suzuki Cups between 2017 and 2024. The 2018 AFF Championship will run from November 8 to December 15.
VTV is the long-time broadcaster of the Suzuki Cup in Vietnam. VTV is reported to have paid $300,000 for rights to the 2010 edition and $900,000 to the Dentsu Alpha agency for rights to the 2012 tournament. It also acquired rights, in separate deals, to the 2014 and 2016 tournaments.
Both RTB and TVLao have held rights to the Suzuki Cup in Brunei and Laos respectively in each of 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016.
In April, Lagardère struck a deal in Indonesia for free-to-air rights of the 2018 and 2020 Suzuki Cups with commercial broadcaster RCTI.