Vietnamese public-service broadcaster VTV has struck a late deal for rights to the 2018 Fifa World Cup, making it one of the last markets to lock down coverage of the national team football tournament.
VTV said it had agreed terms on a deal at 6.30pm local time on Friday after what it stated were “stressful negotiations”.
VTV has secured rights to Russia 2018, which kicks off in Moscow on Thursday, across all platforms. It also has the ability to sublicense content to third parties.
VTV signed the deal with the Infront agency, which holds rights to the 2018 and 2022 World Cups across multiple markets in Asia, including Vietnam.
The rights fee was said to be the major sticking point behind a deal being struck, with VTV having been concerned that the price was too high for its financial capacity.