Last month, the Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo had announced that Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) would be broadcasting 41 out of 64 matches in the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia. For free. The rights for Free-to-Air (FTA) for the 2018 World Cup was expected to have a ceiling cost of MYR40 million, although the Finance Ministry explained that the amount would be substantially reduced through sponsorship and advertising. As it turns out, sponsors did indeed step in. The free broadcast by RTM in the end, would not cost the Government a single dime.
It has now been revealed that Maxis has become the lead broadcast sponsor the RTM’s broadcast. This would silence the critics who were against the new Pakatan Harapan’s move, saying that the money could be put to better used.
The communications minister believes that the airing of World Cup matches was one of the ways for RTM to redeem itself and win back viewers. The move will make the international event accessible to more people. Pay TV broadcasting rights is held by none other than satellite TV network Astro.
Earlier, in a surprising move, Astro announced that it was making the World Cup accessible to all, even to non-Astro customers. It introduced a World Cup Channel Pass that lets viewers watch all 64 LIVE matches in HD on all screens, valid from 14 June to 15 July 2018. Non-Astro customers can purchase the pass for MYR120 and watch all LIVE matches on Astro Go.
As mentioned, RTM will be airing 41 out of 64 matches in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. 27 matches will be broadcasted live, while 14 will be delayed telecasts.
With Maxis on board as lead broadcast sponsor, the green telco is also extending some goodies to its subscribers. Apart from enabling RTM to telecast for free, Maxis is also letting its subscribers the chance for its subscribers to catch the epic event live anytime, anywhere on their mobile devices.
Maxis has partnered Astro to offer World Cup Passes with free data and at a crazy low price.
With the unprecedented arrangement, you’ll be able to watch all 64 World Cup matches live for just MYR1 per match on Astro Go. You’ll also get free data to stream the match in HD on the Maxis 4G network. Note that free data is only for streaming World Cup matches via Astro GO or the web portal.
To get started, all you need to do is purchase passes for the matches you want to watch via the MyMaxis or Hotlink app, available for iOS and Android. You’re advised to buy the passes at least three hours before a match kicks off. Once you’ve purchased the pass, you’ll receive a coupon code within two hours. You can purchase passes in advance.
You will be charged upon receiving the match coupon. You’ll need to redeem your code here to start watching.
By the way, Maxis has released a Bola Raya app that showcases football-themed features. Download the app from Google Play and the App Store.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup takes place from 14 June to 15 July in Russia.
2018 FIFA World Cup Match Schedule
June 25
Poland vs Colombia – 2am – TV1 (delayed, 2.30am) & Astro
Uruguay vs Russia – 10pm – Astro
Saudi Arabia vs Egypt – 10pm – TV1 (delayed, 10.30pm) & Astro
Spain vs Morocco – 2am – TV1 (delayed, 2.30am) & Astro
June 26
Iran vs Portugal – 2am – Astro
Denmark vs France – 10pm – Astro
Australia vs Peru – 10pm – Astro
June 27
Nigeria vs Argentina – 2am – TV1 & Astro
Iceland vs Croatia – 2am – Astro
South Korea vs Germany – 10pm – TV1 & Astro
Mexico vs Sweden – 10pm – Astro
June 28
Serbia vs Brazil – 2am – TV1 & Astro
Switzerland vs Costa Rica – 2am – Astro
Japan vs Poland – 10pm – Astro
Senegal vs Colombia – 10pm – Astro
June 29
England vs Belgium – 2am – TV1 & Astro
Panama vs Tunisia – 2am – Astro
Here’s the full schedule of the remaining matches, sourced from Star2, Star2 2 and Star2 3. Free Astro Arena broadcasts are denoted as AA.
Round of 16
June 30
France vs Argentina – 10pm – TV1 (delayed, 10.30pm), AA (delayed) & Astro
Uruguay vs Portugal – 2am – TV1 (delayed, 2.30am), AA (delayed) & Astro
July 1
Spain vs Russia – 10pm – TV1, AA & Astro
Croatia vs Denmark – 2am – TV1, AA & Astro
July 2
Brazil vs Mexico – 10pm – TV1, AA & Astro
Winner of Group G vs Runner-up of Group H – 2am – TV1 (delayed, 2.30am), AA (delayed) & Astro
July 3
Sweden vs Switzerland – 10pm – AA (delayed), Astro
Winner of Group H vs Runner-up of Group G – 2am – TV1, AA & Astro
Quarter finals
July 6
Winner Match 49 vs Winner Match 50 – 10pm – TV1, AA & Astro
Winner Match 53 vs Winner Match 54 – 2am – TV1 (delayed, 2.30am), AA (delayed) & Astro
July 7
Winner Match 55 vs Winner Match 56 – 10pm – TV2, AA & Astro
Winner Match 51 vs Winner Match 52 – 2am – TV1, AA (delayed) & Astro
July 11
Winner Match 57 vs Winner Match 57 – 2am (Wednesday) – TV1/2*, AA & Astro
July 12
Winner Match 59 vs Winner Match 60 – 2am (Thursday) – TV1/2*, AA & Astro
July 14
3rd & 4th Placing – 10pm – TV1/2*, AA & Astro
July 15
Final – 11pm – TV1/2*, AA & Astro
Here’s other 2018 FIFA World Cup related articles:
- Everyone can watch all 64 LIVE FIFA World Cup matches even if they’re not an Astro customer
- Watch World Cup 2018 matches for free on RTM
- Watch 2018 FIFA World Cup matches for MYR1 per match with Maxis
- Get the latest 2018 FIFA World Cup updates with Twitter and Astro
- TM: Sorry no 2018 FIFA World Cup broadcast on Unifi TV
For more information, visit maxis.com.my.
