Saudi Pro League matches to be broadcast on SPOTV in Singapore
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Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al Nassr in January and a host of other star footballers have since joined him in the Saudi Pro League.
PHOTO: AFP
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SINGAPORE – Cristiano Ronaldo fans in Singapore will soon be able to hit the “Siu” in the comfort of their homes when they catch the Portuguese striker in action for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League.
SPOTV announced on Tuesday that it had secured broadcast rights for the league for the next two seasons.
It will televise 102 matches from the upcoming season which kicks off on Friday with Al-Ahli – who have signed former English Premier League players Roberto Firmino, Allan Saint-Maximin, Edouard Mendy and Riyad Mahrez – taking on Al-Hazem.
The first week of action will also see live coverage of Al-Raed facing defending league champions Al-Ittihad on Monday as well as the clash between Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr and Al-Ettifaq, who are coached by Steven Gerrard.
Viewers will be able to catch three matches every game week live on SPOTV channels – available on Singtel and StarHub – as well as the SPOTV NOW app.
In June, the league received a boost when Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund Public Investment Fund announced a buyout of 75 per cent of Al-Ittihad, Al-Ahli, Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal.
It has since led to a wave of high-profile names joining ahead of the new season.
Among those following in the footsteps of Ronaldo, who moved to Al-Nassr in January, Karim Benzema, Sadio Mane.
SPOTV and SPOTV 2 were launched here in October 2021 and fans have been able to catch live action from tennis’ Wimbledon and US Open, MotoGP, golf’s British Open and the World Table Tennis tournaments.
Bloomberg reported on Monday that billionaire Len Blavatnik’s sports streaming company DAZN was close to acquiring the live broadcast rights for Saudi Pro League in the United Kingdom, Germany and Austria for US$500,000 (S$674,614) for a one-year deal.
While terms of the new deal will mark an increase from last year’s estimated US$30,000 agreement with the same three territories, it is a fraction of the reported US$220 million Ronaldo is getting paid annually.
