Euro Cup live shows on local TV

JAKARTA (JP): Exclusive comments from English soccer's living legends will add extra spice to the excitement of watching the Euro Cup '96 matches live here.

Linda Wahyudi, sports coordinator of privately-owned TV channel RCTI, said yesterday that the station will feature Gary Lineker, Bobby Charlton and Bryan Robson, plus noted soccer commentator Martin Taylor in rare discussions which will prelude each of the 17 Euro Cup matches it will air next month.

Former England captain Lineker, Middlesbrough's manager Robson, former Republic of Ireland team manager Charlton and Taylor will be interviewed by RCTI during the live shows.

The Jakarta-based TV channel has the rights to broadcast all the European soccer championship matches from June 9 to June 30, but it has decided to share the package with its sister channel SCTV. The Surabaya-based station will air 14 matches.

"Inviting international soccer experts as commentators will be a first in local TV history," Linda claimed.

The Euro Cup'96 is one of a trilogy of live broadcasts worth Rp 15 billion (US$6.5 million) arranged by RCTI from May to July.

The series of programs, using 64 audio-visual channels, will kick off with the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup badminton championships coverage in Hong Kong next week.

The Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia will cap the broadcasting extravaganza in July. RCTI is planning to screen 200-hours of live programs during the July 17-Aug. 4 Games, with an average of eight hours of coverage a day.

The live Olympic show will start from 00.00 a.m. to 05.30 a.m. and resume from 08.00 a.m. to 10.30 a.m.

RCTI, in cooperation with cigarette company PT HM Sampoerna, will broadcast the semifinals and finals of the Thomas and Uber Cups from May 23 to May 26.

The badminton coverage will cost both RCTI and the cigarette company Rp 8.6 billion. (yan)