Under the policy “bringing happiness back to Thai people”, Thailand’s National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) Wednesday said it wants Thais to watch FIFA 2014 World Cup for free.

The Thai military junta has intervened in a dispute over broadcast rights and has decided to broadcast the World Cup matches so people watch matches for free. The junta's move came after the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) lost its court case to RS Plc, the broadcast rights holder for the World Cup.

Local channels TV5 and Channel 7 will telecast the matches.