Football broadcaster seeks damages for rigging losses

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

Broadcaster Digitürk says it has lost big since the start of a match-fixing scandal in June. AA photo

Digitürk, Turkey’s biggest digital broadcaster, is seeking compensation from the county’s football authority and clubs for losses it says it incurred from a probe into alleged match-fixing, Anatolia news agency reported.

The company, controlled by Çukurova Holding, is in talks with the Turkish Football Federation in Istanbul over losses it puts at over $100 million, the agency reported, citing unidentified Digitürk officials.
The broadcaster may apply to the courts to lower the broadcast fee it pays the federation if there’s no agreement, it said.

Digitürk agreed last year to pay $424 million, including taxes and fees, a year over four years for broadcast rights to matches in the top league.

Subscriptions dropped 

Subscription revenue has dropped since police began an investigation into alleged match fixing, adding to costs caused by the fall in the value of the lira against the dollar, Digitürk says, according to Anatolia.
There are now 23 officials and coaches jailed pending trial in Istanbul’s Metris Prison since the beginning of the probe that started in July. 
The first hearing for the landmark case is set for Feb. 14.