Thursday 11 June 2009.
Chairman
Fiji Commerce Commission
Garden City
SUVA.
Dear Sir,
RE: FIJI FACT TV COVERAGE
Fiji Football Association has advised us that an exclusive contract is in place with our competitor Fiji TV Ltd (SKY Pacific) to cover Fiji FACT. Fiji TV through its Pay TV service SKY Pacific is charging viewers FJD$49.95 to watch elements of the tournament including the final match.
We have never been invited to discussions or participated in a bidding process for these rights. It is standard practice worldwide for large sporting organisations to have open bidding for rights. In Fiji FA’s case a contract was signed without even consulting Mai TV. Mai TV has made numerous attempts to meet with the President of Fiji FA in regards to Mai TV’s access. We seek the following:
1. Give our viewers an opportunity to see matches for free. Mai TV has proposed that we film elements of the FACT tournament specifically for a new sports show. It will have no impact on the LIVE broadcast of the match. A letter giving this assurance is attached for your information.
2. Millions worldwide enjoy football. To sign an exclusive deal to show certain matches on Pay TV is unfair to both Mai TV and Fiji’s viewers. We firmly believe that football should be aired for free in Fiji. Mai TV has assured Fiji FA that we will air certain elements at no cost to the viewer.
3. Fiji TV has limited subscribers whereby Fiji FACT only on Pay TV will be boosting their subscription numbers – again only people who can afford Pay TV will enjoy this tournament. Fiji TV should air Fiji FACT on its free to air channel FIJI ONE.
Thousands of people enjoy Mai TV everyday. The service is free. We
seek your assistance in ensuring that football is given free to air access and that we be allowed to cover the Fiji FACT tournament by
abiding to the terms covered in our letter to Fiji FA.
Sincerely
Richard Broadbridge
MANAGING DIRECTOR
CC: Minister for Sport
• Fiji TV
• Fiji Times
• Fiji Sun
• CFL
• FBCL
• Daily Post
• Fiji LIVE
• MAILIFE Magazine
• FASANOC
• Oceania Football Confederation
June 17, 2009 at 1:06 pm |
Its no use trying to get the comm comm to listen to your plea. Fiji TV will continue to infiltrate the local market and will try to make money any way it can. I have been a strong critic of Fiji TV and it monopolistic approach towards the public and i have voiced my concerns in one of the daily’s and also through their complaints and feedbacks and unfortunately, there is not much that can be done. One solution i can offer you is to get a petition going to cancel all rights fiji TV has in the fiji markets which it has enjoyed for far too long just because it was the only player in the market and to make this a level-playing field. Gone are the days when Fiji TV was the only player in the Television and broadcasting sector and they should NO longer hold monopoly rights over anything and so the best thing to do is to go straight to the government who alone can make sure that fiji’s televisions are no longer a one player game.