MBC signs US$32 mil. contract to air American ball games

State-run Korea Broadcasting System (KBS) said Thursday that Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) had obtained the exclusive right to telecast U.S. Major League games for US$32 million (about 38.4 billion won).

¡°MBC signed a thoughtless contract, paying an exorbitant amount of foreign currency at a time when the national economy is suffering serious difficulties,¡± KBS said in an official statement issued in the name of Lee Kyu-Chang, chief of the sports department.

In the statement, titled ¡°The KBS position on MBC¡¯s monopolistic contract on U.S. pro baseball,¡± the state-run TV company claimed MBC clearly violated the regulations on joint sports broadcasting the three TV firms (KBS, MBC, SBS) are now implementing under an agreement to protect national interest by preventing excessive competition among them.

In particular, KBS clarified in the statement that ¡°the fee for MBC¡¯s exclusive right to broadcast ML games is US$32 million (38.4 billion won).¡±

MBC has been keeping silent about the exact amount it spent, citing a contract convention with the MLBI (Major League Baseball International). But it was known that the public TV corporation agreed to pay US$24 million won (about 27 billion won) over the coming four years for its exclusive right to telecast all MLB games, including via satellite and cable TV.

Meanwhile, broadcasters¡¯ Internet homepages have been flooded with e-mail from netizens protesting MBC¡¯s decision to ¡°waste dollars¡± for the broadcasting of Park Chan-Ho games when the economy is ailing.

Choi Yong-Seok duck8@donga.com