I REFER to the warning against the Government in Friday's report ('Regional pay-TV group slams cross-carriage ruling') by the Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (Casbaa) for introducing new rules that require pay-TV providers to share exclusive content.
Casbaa warned that given Singapore's small market, content owners may well choose not to sell their products here since the new rules on cross-carriage would mean lower profits.
Casbaa forgets that for years, these same content providers seemed happy to court Singapore Cablevision/StarHub when it was a monopoly.
Why should the association complain now that its members have two pay-TV providers to negotiate with?
The Media Development Authority's (MDA) decision to revise its rules about the competition between the two local telcos here will ultimately benefit the consumer.
The MDA revision is also long overdue.
Content, unlike voice calls, is not a commodity.
Crazy bidding between carriers for premier content had resulted in only one big winner - the content providers.
I can understand the grievances of some Casbaa members over the loss of their leverage to ask for the sky.
Casbaa's members should also examine the positive growth of the Singapore market. Content providers can now potentially reach an audience of almost five million compared to 3.5 million when pay-TV was launched in Singapore in 1995.
As they know, media is entertainment as well as a vehicle for advertising dollars.
It would not be wise for content providers to bypass an audience with one of the highest GDP per capita incomes in the world.
Toh Cheng Seong
Do u think the CASBAA is a consumer rights' group? Of course it has to protect its member's right / profit or whatever, which are the telcos.
Originally posted by Samuel Lee:Do u think the CASBAA is a consumer rights' group? Of course it has to protect its member's right / profit or whatever, which are the telcos.
no alternative.
eventually....we all log onto internet.......