Footballs fans in Hong Kong to get live coverage of Saudi Pro League and German Cup after 2 TV deals confirmed
- Hong Kong channel SPOTV confirms 2-year deal to show 102 matches from 2023-24 Saudi Pro League season
- City’s football fans set for live German Cup action after separate rights arrangement with HOY TV
Hong Kong football fans will be able to watch live games from Saudi Arabia and Germany after deals were struck to screen fixtures as soon as this week.
Coverage of the Saudi Pro League, whose profile has rocketed this summer following a notable player recruitment drive, begins on SPOTV on Saturday. The broadcaster will show 102 matches in 2023-24, after agreeing a two-year contract with the league.
Eight German Cup ties, meanwhile, will be broadcast live on HOY TV across August and September. The 2021 Cup winners Borussia Dortmund’s visit to lowly TSV Schott Mainz is among the early matches scheduled for coverage, while the first-round fixtures for holders RB Leipzig and six-times European champions Bayern Munich will both be shown in September.
SPOTV’s capture of Saudi football follows this week’s news of screening service DAZN acquiring live rights to show Pro League matches in the UK for the forthcoming campaign.
Sky Sports obtained rights to show Saudi Pro League football for the second half of last season after Cristiano Ronaldo transferred from Manchester United to Al-Nassr.
Doubts raised over the Saudis’ long-term commitment to football after Ronaldo’s arrival have given way to intrigue over the Kingdom’s future plans following the hihg-profile signings of Karim Benzema, Sadio Mane and Jordan Henderson.
Steven Gerrard, the former Liverpool midfielder and Aston Villa manager, is the new boss of Al-Ettifaq. And, in perhaps the league’s biggest coup, 26-year-old Portugal international midfielder Ruben Neves swapped English Premier League Wolverhampton Wanderers for Al-Hilal.
SPOTV – which is available in Hong Kong on NOW TV – begins its Saudi coverage with Saturday’s clash between Al-Hilal and Al-Hazem.
In contrast, HOY TV is dipping its toe in the water with the channel’s German Cup offering. It will show eight matches across two channels, starting with simultaneous coverage on Friday of Schalke 04’s visit to Eintracht Braunschweig and the meeting between TUS Bersenbruck and Borussia Monchengladbach.
