By Peh Shing Huei
China Bureau Chief
shpeh@sph.com.sg

 

in BEIJING

THE Chinese government could be the new owner of Liverpool Football Club, but the Chinese people may not have the chance to watch the team in action.

While China Investment Corporation, the investment arm of the government, is reportedly funding the Kenny Huang bid for the Reds, the English Premier League broadcast rights in China remain shrouded in mystery and confusion.

With just days to the first game of the new 2010/2011 season, local media is reporting that the company who had held the rights, Tiansheng TV - also known as Win TV - has gone bankrupt.

The small Guangdong province outfit had bought the rights from 2007 to this year for US$50 million (S$67 million).

It had leaked word to the public in March that it had once again won the bid to broadcast EPL in China. The contract was for the next three seasons and Tiansheng reportedly paid US$50 million again.

But no official statements were released by both EPL and Tiansheng in the past few months to substantiate the news stories.

Now, it seems it could all be a hoax.

It appears that Tiansheng has not updated their website (www.wintv.cn) since June. Calls to their hotline are also unanswered.

Sources now reveal that Tiansheng, which failed to persuade most Chinese fans to pay for EPL matches in the past three years, may not have even won the bid in the first place.

Investors in Tiansheng are believed to have pulled out, disillusioned with its abysmal performance as the popularity of the EPL nosedived in China.

Fans here have been used to watching EPL and the World Cup for free on TV and were reluctant to pay Tiansheng.

The station did not help its sales with its initial exorbitant rates of 1,888 yuan (S$377) a season. The charges dropped to a low of 588 yuan last season.

Reports now say that another little known Chinese media company, Xinyadi, has won the EPL broadcast rights in China. It would in turn sell it to local stations, potentially returning the matches to free-to-air channels here.

But the state-run China Central Television (CCTV) has already said that they are not interested in the English games, having secured rights to the Uefa Champions League, the Spanish La Liga and the German Bundesliga.

Whatever it may be, unless deals are struck soon, it looks like football fans here will not be able to catch Tottenham Hotspurs take on Manchester City when the new season kicks off on Saturday.