Chen Binhua, spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office

Compatriots in Taiwan region are welcome to watch live matches through mainland networks and apps, or to travel to the mainland to enjoy the games together with fellow fans, sharing in the excitement of football while experiencing the mainland's convenient services and vibrant development, Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said on Wednesday.

Chen made the remarks when asked to comment on heated discussions among netizens on both sides of the Taiwan Straits that a Taiwan actor said no FIFA World Cup matches could be found on local television channels in the island, and mainland netizens have called on Taiwan compatriots, saying that all matches are available free of charge on the mainland and inviting them to come to the mainland to watch any of the tournament's 104 matches.

Chen said that the FIFA World Cup is the world's premier football tournament and a sporting feast for fans. Leveraging its large market scale and the institutional advantage of being able to concentrate resources to accomplish major undertakings, the mainland, through China Media Group and in unified negotiations with FIFA, signed a broadcast agreement and secured exclusive full-media rights and sublicensing rights for this edition of the World Cup in the mainland.

Coverage spans free-to-air television, pay television, the internet, and mobile devices across all channels, and is provided free of charge to the public, truly realizing "universal access and shared enjoyment," the spokesperson said.

Global Times