Bangladesh Television Secures World Cup Broadcast Rights at Nominal Cost

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Bangladesh Television (BTV) will broadcast the upcoming FIFA World Cup, ensuring the global tournament reaches domestic audiences at a nominal cost to the state. The announcement was made Tuesday by State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Yaser Khan Chowdhury during a press conference at the Secretariat, where he was joined by State Minister for Youth and Sports Aminul Haque and Jahed Ur Rahman, advisor to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.

The government successfully secured the broadcast rights directly from FIFA through a transparent procurement process. The final contract is valued at $3.85 million, which amounts to approximately 47.26 million BDT, or roughly 63.8 million BDT when accounting for VAT and income taxes. According to the state minister, this expenditure will not place a burden on the public exchequer, as the government plans to recoup nearly the entire cost by selling advertising and sub-licensing rights to telecommunications companies, satellite channels, and OTT platforms.

Officials emphasized that this year’s procurement marks a stark departure from past practices, which they characterized as opaque and financially irresponsible. During the press briefing, the state minister alleged that previous administrations had allowed inflated costs, pointing to the 2022 World Cup, where the broadcast rights reportedly cost nearly 100 million BDT under conditions that remain subject to public scrutiny. He further claimed that initial attempts by private entities to secure rights for the current tournament involved demands of approximately 200 million BDT, which were rejected under the directive of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to prevent the wastage of public funds.

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To bypass these hurdles, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting initiated direct negotiations with FIFA, supported by the involvement of Bangladesh Football Federation President Tabith Awal. Following marathon deliberations, the government secured the rights through a direct procurement method, a move recently approved by the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase.

The 23rd edition of the FIFA World Cup is set to commence on June 11, 2026, and will run through July 19. The tournament, which will be hosted jointly by Canada, Mexico, and the United States, will feature matches across 16 North American cities. Government officials hailed the acquisition as a victory for transparency and a significant achievement for millions of Bangladeshi football fans who will now have access to the games through the national broadcaster.