Hong Kong football fans are facing an English FA Cup TV blackout for the first time in seven years, after Cable TV admitted yesterday it could not strike a deal with the company holding the rights to the competition.
The news came after weeks of haggling between Cable and UK-based broadcast rights holder Octagon CSI International failed to yield a result.
Cable TV external affairs director Garman Chan Ka-yiu said: 'I believe this year we won't have any FA Cup games. We can't reach an agreement. We have got enough football programmes anyway.'
The fifth round of the English FA Cup will kick off tonight. Matches include the all-Premiership clash between Middlesbrough and Blackburn Rovers and Arsenal versus Gillingham.
Premiership title-chasing Newcastle United take on Division One leaders Manchester City tomorrow.
It will be the first time in seven years that there has been no SAR broadcaster screening FA Cup matches. The competition has a huge following in the SAR.
Both TVB and ATV have said they have no plans to bid for the event.
