'Telekom Malaysia to bid for EPL broadcast rights'

Malaysia's state-owned Telekom Malaysia may bid for exclusive rights to show live matches in the next three English Premier League seasons, from 2010 to 2013, a report said on Sunday.

Malaysia's state-owned Telekom Malaysia may bid for exclusive rights to show live matches in the next three English Premier League seasons, from 2010 to 2013, a report said on Sunday.

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The multimillion-dollar tender will open for bidding in the second quarter of this year and the country's largest telecommunications firm is considering taking part, the Edge financial weekly quoted an unnamed source as saying.

The weekly said Telekom Malaysia is likely to compete with Malaysia's dominant pay-TV operator, Astro All Asia Networks, which currently holds the Malaysian broadcast rights for 2007 to 2010 seasons, for the 2010-2013 rights.

"We hope to acquire interesting content for our triple-play platform that could help us to enrich and add value to our service offering," Telekom Malaysia vice-president Jeremy Kung told the weekly, declining further comment.

EPL matches draw a strong following among Malaysians especially top teams such as Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool.