Gobind says Maxis Bhd is the main sponsor for RTM’s screening of the 2018 World Cup. — Picture by Shafwan Zaidon

PUTRAJAYA, June 8 — Minister of Communications and Multimedia Gobind Singh Deo has revealed today that telecommunications company Maxis Bhd is the main sponsor for state channel Radio Television Malaysia (RTM)’s screening of the 2018 World Cup.

He did not reveal the other sponsors involved, but earlier today several sources told Malay Mail that low-cost carrier AirAsia Bhd is also one of the sponsors.

“All I can say for now, because many people have been pushing me to reveal, is that Maxis is the main sponsor.

“As for the rest of them, how many sponsors we have, and the amount sponsored, will be revealed on Tuesday,” he said, referring to a special press conference next week on the World Cup telecast.

Speculation on who the main sponsors were surfaced following Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng’s statement recently that the full RM30 million needed to televised the competition had already been obtained.

It is understood that AirAsia Group CEO Tan Sri Tony Fernandes made the gesture following his admission last month that he had succumbed to political pressure in his support for Barisan Nasional during the election.

Malay Mail could not get AirAsia for a response on its involvement.

Gobind added his ministry has instructed RTM to sort out the details with the license holder, in an attempt to add more live televised matches to their program.

“As of now we have 41 matches, but at the same time I have ordered RTM to try and negotiate more matches and ways even on improving the pricing,” he elaborated.

When asked if the opening and final matches would be televised live, Gobind affirmed saying: “Final and opening, we will have that,”

In Malaysia, cable network Astro is currently the only network with broadcasting rights to show all World Cup matches ‘live’.

The media rights to show the World Cup in Malaysia have been held by M-League Marketing Sdn Bhd since 2002, which then licenses it to Astro.