Telekom's Arena TV: None of sums for EPL games correct; fails to tell real price

Zugic said, "it is obviously a malicious attempt to twist and cover up the truth", adding that the media he headed had "become an absolute leader when it comes to sports content."
"I note once again that all the tenders in which we participated were in line with the procedures of the leagues that sold the transfer rights; that the procedures were conducted in several rounds, and that this is a clear indication that the competitions were uncertain and the offers uniform," Zugic said.

"Buying the best league in the world will enable our further development and will provide us with access to all homes in our region. It will encourage us to produce even better programmes; raise the value of our channels and open many more new opportunities for revenue and increase profits Arena Channels Group, but to a much greater extent to our parent company Telekom Srbija, which we are an important part of," he added.

Economist journalists challenged that opinion, saying Telekom Serbia has an increasing debt and overpaid the rights just to 'kill' United Group's Sport Klub competition. They added there is no economic logic behind the purchase since it will not pay off.

The state Telekom Serbia company bought the broadcasting rights for the next six seasons for 100 million euros per year, or almost ten times more than the United Group's Sports Club, the independent Beta news agency reported on Thursday, citing sources close to the negotiations.