Egyptian Television Network, the state-run broadcaster in Egypt, has acquired rights for the upcoming 2013-14 season of the country’s top-tier football Premier League.
The deal was worth LE70m (€7.4m/$10.1m), according to the Egyptian Football Association, the sport’s governing body in the country.
The state broadcaster will be responsible for sublicensing on the league’s rights to other channels.
The deal was agreed by a committee representing the league’s clubs. The country’s biggest club, Al-Ahly, has withdrawn from the committee in an effort to broker its own rights deal, but it remains unclear whether it will be allowed to do so by the national association and government.
“The Egyptian TV will exclusively broadcast the matches as the information ministry aims to lift any burdens off the Egyptian people, who should watch the matches without any pay-per-view subscriptions,” Information Minister Dorreya Sharaf El-Din told Ahram's Arabic news website.
The new season is scheduled to start on December 24.