Turkish state TV won’t air World Cup matches at fast-breaking times

ISTANBUL

Turkey’s state-run broadcaster will not air matches at the World Cup in Brazil that coincide with shows regarding breaking the fast during Ramadan this summer, Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç has said. 

Arınç was responding to a parliamentary question posed by opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputy chair Sezgin Tanrıkulu on whether the state-run TRT would contract the rights to the FIFA 2014 World Cup to another television channel. 

Arınç said the broadcaster’s main channel, TRT 1, would not be broadcasting some of the quarterfinal matches, which coincide with the breaking the fast during the Muslims’ holy month of Ramadan. 

However, he added that although the TRT had yet to contract the rights elsewhere, talks were ongoing with other stations. Tanrıkulu’s question as to why TRT did not choose the broadcaster’s other channels, such as TRT Haber, TRT 3, or TRT HD, and was opting for other private channels, was not answered by Arınç. 

Ramadan will be between June 28 and July 27 this year.  The World Cup in Brazil starts on June 12, and ends with the final on July 13.