UAE telecom operator du on Tuesday announced that it will be bringing the FIFA World Cup to TV customers at a price of Dhs299.
Reacting to growing concerns among its customers who were becoming increasingly frustrated about how they would access action from the tournament, du said it was providing coverage at discounted prices.
In a statement, the telco said the current market price for the FIFA package was Dhs370, Dhs75 more than the du price.
du’s coverage of the FIFA World Cup on Al Jazeera Sports channels will be on four dedicated Channels – Al Jazeera Sport Channel +9, Al Jazeera Sports +10, Al Jazeera Sports HD and Al Jazeera Sport World Cup, with some of the major matches being broadcasted in High Definition format.
du customers will be able to view Al Jazeera Sport channels and FIFA World Cup matches in both English and Arabic, the company added.
To subscribe to the World Cup package, du customers need to log on to www.du.ae/worldcup, or visit du shops.
The FIFA World Cup 2010 starts on June 11 in South Africa, and will see approximately four billion viewers watching on their TV screens across the globe.
Farid Faraidooni, chief commercial officer, du, said: “du is committed to providing top-class home entertainment to add a little enjoyment and good sporting fun to the lives of people in the UAE.
“We are pleased to be offering our du TV subscribers a great FIFA World Cup package through Al Jazeera Sport Channels, which enables football fans to enjoy full coverage of the event, hassle-free, in different languages, and in standard and High Definition formats.”
Earlier this month, Grand Cinemas announced it had struck a deal with Al Jazeera, to show the tournament’s matches live on its cinema screens.
Andy Fordham, project manager at Grand Cinemas, told Arabian Business that the UAE-based cinema operator plans to sell around 4,800 tickets per match throughout the tournament.
Prices will start at Dhs35 ($9.52) and will increase as the tournament progresses, with tickets for the final priced at Dhs100 ($27.22).
