[Satellite TODAY Insider 10-08-10] The Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA) sharply criticized regulations issued Oct. 7 by the Media Development Authority of Singapore that, in effect, end pay-TV content exclusivity in Singapore.
    CASBAA CEO Simon Twiston Davies said the decision is “contrary to the interests of Singapore’s pay-TV subscribers and the industry at large,” adding that the regulations will not work for Singapore and would be even more destructive in other jurisdictions.
“Content owners, who have used Singapore as a regional base for more than 15 years, consider the new rules very harmful to the country’s reputation for protecting intellectual property rights holders,” Twiston Davies said in a statement. “If implemented as they stand, the new rules would undercut the attractiveness of Singapore as a destination for media investment and impair employment and economic growth. … The useful stimulus to domestic production coming from growing pay-TV could be irreparably undermined.”
    CASBAA also decried an upcoming MDA cross-carriage measure that mandates that pay-TV retailers that have acquired exclusive rights to content on or after March 12, 2010, make this content available for carriage via platforms of qualified pay-TV retailers. In addition, retailers also are mandated to acquire the rights to broadcast on all relevant delivery platforms should they acquire any qualified content. If a content provider signs an exclusive agreement for the Singapore market, it has to acquire the rights for cable platform as well as IPTV and other platform mediums as well.
    CASBAA said that based on feedback from industry stakeholders such as SingTel and StarHub, this mandate would deprive content owners and creators their freedom to negotiate contracts in a competitive market.
    MDA Deputy CEO and Director of Development Policy Michael Yap said the authority’s preliminary position on the cross-carriage measure is a step forward to ensure his country’s media market remains vibrant. “It will help content providers gain a wider distribution of their content and consumers to enjoy a wider choice of content without the inconveniences of having to switch pay-TV retailers each time exclusive content changes hands,” he said in a statement.
    MDA expects to issue its final decision on the cross-carriage measure at the end of the year.

Related Stories-

SkyVision CEO Not Excited by HD in Indonesia; Plans 3-D Launch in 2011    Satellite News   September 30, 2010
[Satellite News 09-30-10] While India and China remain two of the largest pay-TV empires in the Asian region, Indonesia, with its population of 230 million people and low penetration, represents an untapped broadcasting opportunity for satellite…

Wade Looking to Make Early Impact for AsiaSat    Satellite News   July 23, 2010
[Satellite News 07-23-10] William Wade will become the new CEO of AsiaSat in the next two weeks. He is replacing Peter Jackson, a well-known figure in the satellite industry. In an interview with Satellite News Associate Editor Mark Holmes…

MTV Networks Joins CASBAA-Backed Broadcast Marketing Coalition in Asia   Satellite Today   May 26, 2010
[Satellite TODAY 05-26-10] MTV Networks Asia has joined the Asia TV Advertising Coalition (ATAC), an alliance of Asian broadcasters dedicated to generating new advertising revenue streams for subscription television across 15 Asian markets, the…