MAI TV Begins work on the Vanua Levu Transmission

Free air network Mai TV today announced that engineering work was underway to begin transmission tests in Vanua Levu this month with 24 hour broadcasts to begin in April.

Engineers have begun the groundwork to ensure a wide audience receives Mai TV’s signal across Vanua Levu and certain outer islands.

“We’re delighted to say that by April and definitely prior to June’s FIFA Soccer World Cup we will have our signal reaching close to 90 percent of the Fiji Islands. We are happy that this expansion fulfils the terms of our license and assures our loyal advertisers of the widest reach possible”, CEO Richard Broadbridge said.

Mai TV has assigned a transmission target to its engineers which includes the assurance that the people of Labasa, Savusavu and surrounding areas and parts of Lomaiviti, Taveuni and Ra will see Mai TV in the first quarter of 2010.

“We’re designing the system in such a way that we will beam our signal into densely populated areas as a priority with some other areas to see the signal as a result of our engineering” Broadbridge added.

“Mai TV has been granted a VHF frequency in Vanua Levu, which means viewers will not have to purchase any special equipment to view the channel. It will mean simply retuning TV sets, which viewers can do themselves”

Mai TV was launched in June 2008 and currently broadcasts to greater Suva, Nadi, Lautoka, Ba and parts of Tavua, Tailevu, Namosi and Naitasiri.

The company says exploring options to ensure 100% of Fiji watch the FIFA Soccer World Cup this year.

Mai TV is based in Suva and employs 30 staff across its group, which includes SKYLITE Productions and MAILIFE Magazine.

MAI TV Begins work on the Vanua Levu Transmission

Free air network Mai TV today announced that engineering work was underway to begin transmission tests in Vanua Levu this month with 24 hour broadcasts to begin in April.

Engineers have begun the groundwork to ensure a wide audience receives Mai TV’s signal across Vanua Levu and certain outer islands.

“We’re delighted to say that by April and definitely prior to June’s FIFA Soccer World Cup we will have our signal reaching close to 90 percent of the Fiji Islands. We are happy that this expansion fulfils the terms of our license and assures our loyal advertisers of the widest reach possible”, CEO Richard Broadbridge said.

Mai TV has assigned a transmission target to its engineers which includes the assurance that the people of Labasa, Savusavu and surrounding areas and parts of Lomaiviti, Taveuni and Ra will see Mai TV in the first quarter of 2010.

“We’re designing the system in such a way that we will beam our signal into densely populated areas as a priority with some other areas to see the signal as a result of our engineering” Broadbridge added.

“Mai TV has been granted a VHF frequency in Vanua Levu, which means viewers will not have to purchase any special equipment to view the channel. It will mean simply retuning TV sets, which viewers can do themselves”

Mai TV was launched in June 2008 and currently broadcasts to greater Suva, Nadi, Lautoka, Ba and parts of Tavua, Tailevu, Namosi and Naitasiri.

The company says exploring options to ensure 100% of Fiji watch the FIFA Soccer World Cup this year.

Mai TV is based in Suva and employs 30 staff across its group, which includes SKYLITE Productions and MAILIFE Magazine.

BA TUNES INTO MAI TV FOR THE FIRST TIME

BA TUNES INTO MAI TV FOR THE FIRST TIME
Another milestone was reached today when Mai TV engineers switched on a new transmitter to ensure access to Mai TV by thousands of people in the area.

MAI TV says a new one hundred Watt transmitter was installed near Ba delivering a promise made to the business community and people of Ba last year.

“We’re extremely proud to get this job done in time for Christmas. We’re confident our content will be liked by the people of Ba and Tavua” CEO Richard Broadbridge said.

Mai TV says it has a test pattern on air now and this will continue for 48 hours.

The station has advised the people of Ba and Tavua to retune their TV sets over the weekend to prepare for the
LIVE feed from Suva on Sunday or Monday.

Mai TV Facts:

* Launched 2008 exactly 6 months after issuance of license.
* Three other license holders have not begun broadcasts despite being given same instruction as Mai TV
* Current holder of Pacific rights for FIFA Soccer World Cup
* Currently broadcasts to Suva, Nadi and Lautoka. Ba and Tavua to launch this week
* Services to Vanua Levu scheduled to begin in Feb/March 2010.
* Full locally owned and employs 30 staff in TV, Production and its Magazine MaiLIFE.

BA TO SEE MAI TV SOON

The people of Ba and certain parts of Tavua will soon be able to watch MAI TV from next week. This announcement comes after all the necessary transmission equipment arrived in the country today with engineers installing the last bits of equipment on a tower in Lololo.

“We’re very pleased to announce to the people of Ba and Tavua that they will soon have a better choice on their sets especially with next years FIFA Soccer World Cup only available on MAI TV for free” CEO Richard Broadbridge said.

Mai TV is installing a new transmitter on the UHF band for viewers in the area. All “non-Pay TV” viewers are watching TV on UHF currently so it will mean simply retuning their TV sets when we advise them to.

“If you live in Ba, try tuning in on Monday. You will be pleasantly surprised”, added Broadbridge. Mai TV says planning work is underway for their expansion into Vanua Levu.

Mai TV has met with possible co-site partners to ensure it provides an entertaining yet sustainable operation to Vanua Levu.

The company says it hopes to reach Labasa, Savusavu and parts of Taveuni, Lomaiviti, Koro and Ra with a powerful transmitter to be installed at Delaikoro. Mai TV says most of the country will have Mai TV in time for next years FIFA Soccer World Cup.

MAI TV ESTABLISHES OUTSIDE BROADCAST UNIT

In a bid to provide more LIVE outside broadcasts, MAI TV has signed up with ASCO Motors to use a brand new Toyota HIACE to house what will be state of the art mobile production facilities.

In a handover ceremony at ASCO Motors Mai TV CEO Richard Broadbridge thanked ASCO Motors for partnering up with the growing broadcaster to provide more LIVE events including Mai TV’s Dance Invasion at the Vodafone Arena next weekend.

The Van will house video and audio switching facilities and will be capable of sending LIVE images from anywhere in the country to Mai TV’s

audience. Mai TV broadcasts to Suva, Nadi and Lautoka with Ba and Tavua to be on air within the next month.

The broadcaster, which owns exclusive Pacific rights to the FIFA Soccer World Cup, intends to launch its services to Vanua Levu in February 2010.

WORLD ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS ON MAI TV

International athletics will be showcased on MAI TV next week with the network broadcasting 5 hours of highlights of the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Berlin.

The highlight on the international athletics calendar in 2009 is the IAAF World Championships in Athletics from Berlin. MAI TV will cover the 9-day event from Monday to Friday next week at 7pm daily. The IAAF World Championships is commonly known as the largest sporting event worldwide behind the FIFA Soccer World Cup and the Olympic Games.

“We are grateful to our sponsor Rexona, the Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union and SBS Australia for allowing us to access this fantastic event. It will be Mai TV’s first bite at the athletics apple” CEO Richard Broadbridge said.

MAI TV is receiving five one-hour highlights shows via satellite from Berlin.

Athletics adds to a growing list of sport that Mai TV has ventured into including the FIFA Soccer World Cup, Oceania Football, Fiji Netballand Fiji National Rugby League.

MAI TV GETS REGIONAL RECOGNITION

MAI TV has received regional recognition with its News & Current Affairs Producer Stanley Simpson being awarded the Pacific TV Journalist of the Year by the Pacific Islands News Association (PINA) and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). Simpson picked up the PINA/ABC TV Journalist of the Year and PINA Print Journalist of the Year Awards at the Pacific Media Summit in Vanuatu last week.

“We’re absolutely thrilled to take top honours at this prestigious event. It’s a birthday present to us and recognition for Stan and all our staff for the hard work they put into making Simpson at Seven and MAILIFE Magazine,” Managing Director Richard Broadbridge said. Veteran ABC journalist and lead judge of the TV category, Sean Dorney noted in his citation that Simpson’s impressive collection of submitted television items delighted the judges. “The matters his entries covered ranged from the tragic story of a young Tongan girl dying of cancer through the contentious social issue of prostitution to a virtual forecast of the abrogation of the Fiji Constitution,” the judges noted.

“The item on Tae Kami, the Tongan girl diagnosed with cancer as a child showed a marvellous sensitivity. She agreed to be interviewed by Stanley in the months before her death and Stanley then held onto the interview until after she passed away in August 2008. Stanley described the interview as “emotional and challenging”. “For his story on prostitution, Stanley says he spent months trying to meet and find out more about the young women drawn into the trade and he eventually won the confidence of a young sex worker who agreed to an extensive and revealing interview.”

“Stanley also provided the audience in Fiji with a compelling piece about the teachers and health professionals forced into retirement…on the very last day they were allowed to work in their schools and hospitals.” The Simpson@Seven team will continue to do inspiring and investigative stories that touch peoples lives, and are working towards building a fully-fledged newsroom for Mai TV.

Please contact Stanley Simpson directly for comments on 9927720 or Richard Broadbridge on 9927721.

MAI TV SIGNS OCEANIA SUB-LICENCE AGREEMENT WITH SBS AUSTRALIA 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP SOUTH AFRICA™ & OTHER FIFA EVENTS

As the Official Broadcaster of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™, SBS Australia today announced it had signed an Oceania sub-licence agreement with MAI TV, Fiji.

“The agreement ensures that millions of people across the Pacific region will be able to watch FIFA tournaments, including next year’s World Cup in South Africa, on free-to-air TV,” said MAI TV Managing Director, Richard Broadbridge.

“For such a young broadcaster – only thirteen months old; MAI TV is extremely happy to be awarded the task of sub-licensing the World Cup rights into the Oceania territories of American Samoa, Cook Islands, Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia,Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu,” continued Mr Broadbridge.

“With the acquisition of FIFA content, football will be lifted to a new level in the Pacific region with more support for Oceania football as well as local associations.” MAI TV will transmit SBS Australia’s broadcast and commentary for all LIVE matches in the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.

“SBS is well respected in the Australian market for its experience and expertise in broadcasting some of the biggest sporting events from around the globe; the FIFA World Cup is considered the pinnacle,” said Managing Director of SBS Australia, Shaun Brown.

“We are, therefore delighted to be working with MAI TV to ensure even greater coverage of the FIFA events throughout Oceania.”

About MAI TV (Fiji) Limited
MAI TV is a free-to-air commercial broadcaster in Fiji. It has rights for PNG, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Cook Islands, Vanuatu and Solomon
Islands and other non-French speaking territories MAI TV (Fiji) Limited is fully Fijian owned and will have 87% coverage of the Fiji group by February 2010. For further information:

MAI TV
Richard Broadbridge – Managing Director
rbroadbridge@tv.com.fj

SBS Australia
Jo Parker – Communications Manager, Sport
jo.parker@sbs.com.au

OFC and regional broadcasting newcomers announce Futsal partnership

Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) is excited to announce its partnership with Fijian broadcaster Mai TV to provide comprehensive televised coverage of the OFC Futsal Championship Fiji 2009 to be held in Suva between 6-10 July.

The agreement will see Mai TV provide broadcast coverage of all six round-robin matches as well as the ‘crunch day’ play-off matches including the championship final.

OFC General Secretary Tai Nicholas says the new partnership shows OFC’s ongoing commitment to providing greater exposure of football throughout the Pacific region.

“The appetite for televised football – including alternative forms of the game such as Futsal and beach soccer – continues to grow within Oceania and OFC is committed to delivering extensive coverage for the fans,” said Nicholas.

“We are delighted that Mai TV are as excited about football as we are and that they are committed to filming every minute of the OFC Futsal Championship.”

This year’s tournament will see defending champions Solomon Islands battle it out with hosts Fiji, New Caledonia and Vanuatu to see who is crowned Oceania’s number one Futsal nation.

Delayed broadcasts of the each day’s action will be shown free to air each evening on Mai TV during Fijian prime time.

A comprehensive one hour highlights package of the tournament’s most exhilarating action will be made available to broadcasters in each of the participating nations as well as New Zealand and Australia after the championships completion. Mai TV will also make this highlights package available online at www.tv.com.fj

For Mai TV’s CEO Richard Broadbridge, winning the rights to broadcast the OFC Futsal Championship is another significant progression for his young broadcast company.

“We’re extremely happy to be OFC’s partner in this event. We see football as major content for us and our Pacific neighbours, and will be showing more football in the region over the next three years,” Broadbridge said.

Broadbridge and Mai TV are also readying to further grow their commitment to spreading the football gospel with local content aimed specifically at football to be seen on Fijian screens in the near future.

Celebrating 1 Year with you

Free to air broadcaster MAI TV today celebrated its first birthday by announcing the expansion of its services over the next 8 months

Beginning with Ba in September, MAI TV will commission a new transmitter to the town, which will also see services reaching parts of Tavua as well.

“It’s been twelve months since we launched – it’s hard to believe that before we arrived there was no competition in the free to air commercial TV market. We are happy with our share of the market but we will work hard over the next year to grow it significantly”, CEO Richard Broadbridge said.

MAI TV has acquired major content for the next twelve months, which includes Oceania Football, Fiji Netball and Fiji Rugby League.

“Business wise it’s been a very tough year for us. Like other businesses we too are at risk with currency fluctuations, competition and lower advertising budgets” Broadbridge said.

Mai TV says it works tirelessly at keeping its costs under control while also ensuring its viewers are given a high standard of content.

MAI TV employs 25 staff in Suva and will be looking to hire another 15 people as it now heads into new areas of the country, which will include Labasa and Savusavu in February.

“It’s only natural that we thank our advertisers, investors, viewers, families and friends for supporting us. Fiji was crying out for a competitor and we hope to fill that void over the next 12 months” Broadbridge added.

MAI TV also thanked the Interim Government for its support for competition in the television market.

PLEASE CONTACT R BROADBRIDGE ON 3275051 FOR INFORMATION

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