May 27, 2014

UEFA EURO 2016 /2018 FIFA World Cup European Qualifiers

i-CABLE Communications Limited announced today its exclusive acquisition of all Hong Kong media rights to the European qualifiers of the UEFA European Championship 2016 in France and 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

Spanning TV, new media and mobile platforms, i-CABLE has exclusive rights to 546 qualifiers, play-offs and friendlies for UEFA EURO 2016 and 2018 FIFA World Cup:

UEFA EURO 2016
- 268 Qualifiers & Play-offs
- 10 Friendlies for the France National Team.


2018 FIFA World Cup
- 258 European Qualifiers & Play-offs
- 10 Friendlies for the Russia National Team.

i-CABLE Sports Limited Executive Director Mr Ronald Chiu is excited over the new addition to i-CABLE's sports programming line-up of Europe's two most coveted qualifying tournaments.

"On top of our present carriage of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League, we are now also the exclusive broadcaster in Hong Kong showcasing the continent's top qualifying rounds for UEFA EURO 2016 and 2018 FIFA World Cup. This significant acquisition will further attest to our commitment to bringing sports fans non-stop football excitement."

"For the first time, UEFA is grouping the the media rights to these qualifiers, play-offs and friendlies into one single package and organise the fixtures accordingly. This enables broadcasters to follow every stage of the qualification process more closely, giving them much greater programming and scheduling flexibility in bringing their viewers the most comprehensive yet exciting coverage of the tournaments not previously possible," says Mr Chiu.

Commenting on the deal, UEFA Events S.A. Marketing Director Mr Guy-Laurent Epstein says that: ¡§We are very pleased to have concluded an agreement with i-CABLE, a broadcaster which has contributed excellent coverage to UEFA's club competitions in the past and now has an opportunity to build the profile of national team football and the European Qualifiers in Hong Kong."

The UEFA EURO 2016 Qualifying Competition will be played from September 2014 to November 2015. The 2018 FIFA World Cup European qualifiers are expected to kick-off in September 2016.

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