Qatar 2022: ELEVEN to show Asian qualifiers in Hong Kong as part of AFC deal
- All AFC tournaments to be shown in city and across Southeast Asia from 2022-24
- Remainder of Fifa World Cup qualifiers for Asian Football Confederation nations available in Hong Kong and Thailand
This is part of a wider expansion from London-based ELEVEN into Southeast Asia that includes Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei Darussalam, and the Philippines in 2022. The company already operates in Japan and Taiwan.
The deal with the AFC includes all of their competitions for the 2022-24 cycle for those territories bar Indonesia, the parties confirmed.
ELEVEN, which was founded in 2015 and is owned by Aser Ventures, will show matches using an “OTT first approach”, they said. This will be led via their ElevenSports.com website.
“We’re delighted to be launching in Southeast Asia with a compelling package of AFC rights,” said ELEVEN Group Chief Rights Acquisitions Officer Guillaume Collard.
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“Our plan is to build a network of services that are local, accessible and available to fans wherever and however they want to consume their favourite sport and entertainment. Our AFC rights give us a great platform to grow from, as we work to serve audiences in the region in a fresh and dynamic way.”
His sentiments were echoed by Dato’ Windsor John, the AFC General Secretary.
“The AFC is delighted to enter into this partnership with ELEVEN, which further underlines the prestige and ever-growing stature of the AFC’s world-class competitions,” Windsor John said.
“Football continues to occupy a special place in the Asean region and in Hong Kong and we want to thank ELEVEN for ensuring unparalleled access for our passionate fans and for believing in the future of Asian football.”
The AFC qualifiers for the Qatar 2022 Fifa World Cup continue next week with the fourth round of fixtures in the third and final round.
Now TV and South Korea’s SPOTV have confirmed rights deals for Hong Kong in recent weeks after the demise of Fox Sports Asia.
