Tencent-owned iflix sued by Malaysian Football League over 10-year broadcasting contract

Iflix is in the news again, with the video-on-demand platform now subject of legal action from the Malaysian Football League (MFL), NST reports. The dispute is being brought over an alleged breach of contract—one that was signed in 2018 for a duration of 10 years.

MFL President Datuk Hamidin Amin (who also serves as the President of Football Association of Malaysia) has confirmed that the league is suing iflix after the streaming company “did not honour” the aforementioned contract. However, he refrained from providing anymore details, saying that the case has already proceeded to the litigation stage in court.

According to Twentytwo13, iflix is being sued for a figure that is “in the millions”; the original decade-long deal was signed for a reported RM300 million that was to be disbursed via staggered payments throughout the length of the contract. As part of the deal, iflix had the rights to stream live Super League, Premier League, Malaysia Cup, and FA Cup over the platform—for free viewing.

Back then, the partnership was heralded as a way to “bring the football back to the people”, although things have clearly soured in the year and a half since. At the moment, things aren’t yet immediately clear, with iflix yet to release an official response to the matter.

It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first time that we’re hearing of a lawsuit against iflix. Recently, the streaming company was accused by the makers of Daulat of failing to pay licensing fees. A legal letter was consequently issued to iflix for late payment, and the issue is still currently developing.

MFL, for their part, have also had their legal issues in recent years. Back in 2016, the FAM (MFL was created under the FAM) signed a RM1.26 billion deal with an international media rights company, which eventually led to the formation of the MFL as we know it today. However, a legal dispute in 2017 eventually resulted in the FAM being penalised with damages of RM25 million.

Iflix has already been struggling for awhile now, with the Malaysian company reporting considerable losses in recent years. This culminated in the platform being acquired by technology giants Tencent—one of the world’s ten most valuable companies.

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