Thanks to close cooperation between OFC TV, host broadcaster Mai TV and satellite provider Pacific Broadcasting Services, the eight-team tournament at Suva’s Vodafone Arena from May 16 to 20 will be aired across the region for fans to enjoy.
Selected group stage matches plus the semi-finals and final will beam delayed through OFC’s broadcast partners in the Solomon Islands, Tahiti and Vanuatu with delayed same-day coverage in host country Fiji.
In addition, all 18 matches of Oceania’s qualifier for the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2012 will stream live online at www.oceaniafootball.com
OFC General Secretary Tai Nicholas says it follows on from the extensive coverage of the OFC U-20 Championship in Auckland last month.
“Our U-20 tournament was a huge success in terms of media coverage with glowing reports from places like Fiji, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu where previously fans have not had a lot of regional football shown on television,” says Nicholas.
“We face a lot of challenges in the Pacific with regards to technology and satellite costs but we have worked hard to find solutions so that these tournaments can be aired throughout the region.”
OFC has built up a strong relationship with Mai TV over the past three years with the Suva-based station again being designated as host broadcaster for the tournament.
The confederation has sought agreements with regional broadcasters to distribute the daily highlights and full match coverage with several stations already onboard including Mai TV (Fiji), VBTC (Vanuatu), TNTV (Tahiti) and Our Telekom (Solomon Islands). Only broadcasters with an agreement in place will be licensed to air the matches.
Extensive coverage including match reports, photos and video highlights will also be provided across oceaniafootball.com, facebook.com/OFCfootball and twitter.com/OFCfootball
The championship involves Fiji, Kiribati, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Solomon Islands, Tahiti, Tuvalu and Vanuatu with the winner progressing to the FIFA Futsal World Cup Thailand 2012.