We are now just 4 days away from the biggest sporting event of the year. The 22nd FIFA World Cup will kick off on November 20, with the host Qatar taking on Ecuador. This is the most expensive World Cup ever, and sadly, we viewers will be covering a big part of the cost.
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For the first time ever, FIFA World Cup viewers in Nepal will need to bear an additional fee of Rs. 500 (before tax) on top of their regular TV subscription charges.
And on November 8, the Supreme Court of Nepal issued an interlocutory (an order or judgment given during the course of legal action—and not a final verdict) interim order against collecting additional fees just for the FIFA World Cup.
As a result, Media Hub’s Executive Director Som Dhital informed that Nepali viewers might miss out on the Qatar World Cup entirely since their preparations had come to a halt due to this legal trouble.
But today (November 16), the Supreme Court (with Justices Prakash Kumar Dhungana and Manoj Kumar Sharma) has sided with Media Hub. And it has ruled a verdict that allows the company to continue with its pay-per-view system for broadcasting the Qatar FIFA World Cup in Nepal.
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According to the agreement between Media Hub and Himalaya Television Network (the broadcasting partner), the semifinal and final stage matches will be broadcast for free as well.
How to watch Qatar FIFA World Cup (2022) in Nepal?
Okay, so since Media Hub’s legal issue has been resolved in time and the company is currently in the process of finalizing its preparations, Himalaya TV HD will be broadcasting the upcoming football FIFA World Cup 2022 matches in Nepal. And these matches will likely have English commentary.
So far, NetTV and ViaTV have signed up to broadcast the Qatar World Cup as well. But besides the added charge itself, perhaps the most frustrating thing about this entire ordeal is that you won’t be able to watch it on a mobile app since there has been any agreement for the same.
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How much fee will you have to pay to watch Qatar FIFA World Cup (2022) in Nepal?
Like the anti-consumeristic allegations, I can’t say that this need for additional charges comes as a surprise either.
It was already speculated that this edition of the FIFA World Cup was going to be an expensive one for Nepalese viewers from the very beginning. However, there was no concrete information about how much and how a viewer was going to pay for it.
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As I mentioned before, FIFA World Cup fans in Nepal will have to pay a fee of Rs. 500 to enjoy all the games from the comfort of their home. It’s also important to note that the Rs. 500 is a VAT-exclusive price and is valid for a single setup box (STB) only.
