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26 hours of free World Cup football with RTM Sat, Jan 30, 2010
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SEPANG, Malaysia - Football fans can look forward to 26 hours of free excitement with RTM being given the exclusive broadcasting right to air matches at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. RTM has been given the right to air 35 World Cup matches, 24 of them live and 11 delayed, said Information, Communications and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim. He said the matches would be aired on both RTM1 and RTM2.

"There are millions of football fans in Malaysia and RTM will be meeting their sporting needs," he told reporters after witnessing the signing of a memorandum of understanding for RTM to be given the right to air the World Cup matches from June 11 to July 12. The minister said more than 18 million viewers in Malaysia were expected to follow both live and delayed telecast matches during the competition.

"We even have a theme for this World Cup period - '1 Malaysia, 1 World cheer'," he said. When contacted, an Astro spokesperson said Astro would also be broadcasting World Cup matches because it had been given the "pay television rights" to do so.