Two sources from the Ministry of Information and BTV confirmed the matter to Prothom Alo today, Wednesday. However, none of the officials concerned agreed to speak publicly on the issue.

When asked, Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan told Prothom Alo, “Discussions with all parties are progressing satisfactorily so that the public can watch the matches without spending public money.”

The biggest event in global football kicks off on 11 June.

The broadcasting rights for this year’s World Cup in Bangladesh had been acquired by Singapore-based company Springbok Pte Ltd. Bangladeshi companies were supposed to purchase the rights from the company in order to broadcast the matches in Bangladesh.

The company had sought approximately Tk 1.51 billion from BTV for the broadcasting rights. Including taxes, the amount would have been close to Tk 2 billion. However, the deal was ultimately not concluded.

Meanwhile, the Singapore-based company has relinquished the rights after failing to sell them.