An excerpt from TATT’s release on the matter.
ALL subscription television providers are required to remove ALL channels for which they have no Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) from local channel line-ups.
This action is not required by any one provider, as recent television news reports would have erroneously indicated, but by ALL providers in the subscription television market.
The subscription TV providers are:
- Airlink Communications (Princes Town)
- Blink Entertainment (TSTT) (countrywide)
- DirecTV(countrywide)
- Diversified Technologies Ltd. (Penal)
- Flow (countrywide)
- Greendot (countrywide)
- ICNTT(countrywide)
- Mayaro Cable TV (Mayaro)
- RVR (Rio Claro)
- Santa Flora Cable (Santa Flora)
- Trico Industries Ltd. (Tobago)
This requirement is also for providers who have not launched service such as Massy Communications, Open Telecom and Digicel.
The Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (the “Authority”) has noted with considerable concern that news reports issued this week have taken an erroneous interpretation of the actions to be effected by the local subscription television market in Trinidad and Tobago.
ALL providers are working assiduously to obtain alternative channels for consumer packages which will contribute to the overall viewership experience. This pull down and replacement process has already commenced.
Channels which will be affected are those which are:
- Not available because the rights for them are not available to the Caribbean Region
- Available, but rights for them have not been acquired by the provider.
The following channels must be removed.
- ABC
- CBC
- CBS
- City TV
- CMT
- Comedy Central USA Networks
- CW (WPIX)
- Encore Western
- FOX
- KTLA
- My TV 33
- NBC
- TLC
- USA Network
- VH-1 USA
- WGN
Any other channel which is legally available but for which the provider has not yet acquired rights will be removed and the Authority will work with providers on a case by case basis in this regard.
The above actions have become necessary to ensure that Trinidad and Tobago is in compliance with international IP treaties and Agreements to which it is a signatory.
Your subscription television provider will communicate with you further as to when channels will be removed and when new channels will be added.
So what action will be taken against these companies that were selling stolen property to the public. The ‘authority’ didn’t address that. And what about rebates to the customers who paid millions to these companies. Some of these channels like ABC and Fox should be alerted and sue them.