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SportsMax not regulated by Broadcasting Commission
SportsMax not regulated by Broadcasting Commission
BY JULIAN RICHARDSON
Many subscribers of local content provider SportsMax, which owns the Jamaican broadcast rights for Fox Soccer Channel, were incensed over the fact that they were denied access to the live feed from last Sunday’s game between Jamaica and El Salvador.
They were barred from the channel which requires a monthly subscription fee of $466, inclusive of tax, because the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) prevents SportsMax from showing live international football games hosted by Jamaica, according to the company’s CEO, Oliver McIntosh.
On Sunday, this newspaper company received several complaints from angry customers incensed that they were unable to access the channel during the ‘Reggae Boyz’ home game against El Salvador.
In fact, viewers, when tuning into the channel to watch the game, were greeted with a message stating that, due to SportsMax’s live Caribbean coverage of the Jamaica versus El Salvador football game, Jamaican viewers will not be able to access either Sportsmax or Fox Soccer Channel (FSC), between 6:00 pm and 8:00 pm. The company, which owns the local distribution rights to FSC, which also broadcast the game, said that they were encouraging Jamaicans to go to the National Stadium to support the team.
Against the background that many Jamaican SportsMax subscribers are crying foul, McIntosh defended the agreement when he spoke with the Business Observer, saying that this was practiced in other countries as well.
“It’s a written agreement with the JFF, it’s not out of the norm,” said McIntosh. “It’s very common with sports internationally where the local coverage gets blocked out… except with the English Premier League which just recently started showing matches live.”
But contract aside, the content provided is not regulated by the country’s authority on subscriber television, the Broadcasting Commission, according to executive director of the regulator, Cordel Green.
Neither does the Commission interfere with contractual arrangements of such entities. He said customers would need to look at the agreement that they signed with Sportsmax to see whether a provision was made for temporary suspension.
“A subscriber to the SportsMax channel would need to refer to the service agreement with SportsMax or the cable provider to see whether there is provision for temporary suspension of programming in keeping with copyright or other arrangements,” said Green. “If it is deemed necessary or desirable, the subscriber may refer the matter to the Consumer Affairs Commission.”
The executive director, however, noted that, “The JFF would be entirely within its rights to grant or refuse live coverage of home matches.”
MCINTOSH… it’s very common with sports internationally where the local coverage gets blocked out
BY JULIAN RICHARDSON
Many subscribers of local content provider SportsMax, which owns the Jamaican broadcast rights for Fox Soccer Channel, were incensed over the fact that they were denied access to the live feed from last Sunday’s game between Jamaica and El Salvador.
They were barred from the channel which requires a monthly subscription fee of $466, inclusive of tax, because the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) prevents SportsMax from showing live international football games hosted by Jamaica, according to the company’s CEO, Oliver McIntosh.
On Sunday, this newspaper company received several complaints from angry customers incensed that they were unable to access the channel during the ‘Reggae Boyz’ home game against El Salvador.
In fact, viewers, when tuning into the channel to watch the game, were greeted with a message stating that, due to SportsMax’s live Caribbean coverage of the Jamaica versus El Salvador football game, Jamaican viewers will not be able to access either Sportsmax or Fox Soccer Channel (FSC), between 6:00 pm and 8:00 pm. The company, which owns the local distribution rights to FSC, which also broadcast the game, said that they were encouraging Jamaicans to go to the National Stadium to support the team.
Against the background that many Jamaican SportsMax subscribers are crying foul, McIntosh defended the agreement when he spoke with the Business Observer, saying that this was practiced in other countries as well.
“It’s a written agreement with the JFF, it’s not out of the norm,” said McIntosh. “It’s very common with sports internationally where the local coverage gets blocked out… except with the English Premier League which just recently started showing matches live.”
But contract aside, the content provided is not regulated by the country’s authority on subscriber television, the Broadcasting Commission, according to executive director of the regulator, Cordel Green.
Neither does the Commission interfere with contractual arrangements of such entities. He said customers would need to look at the agreement that they signed with Sportsmax to see whether a provision was made for temporary suspension.
“A subscriber to the SportsMax channel would need to refer to the service agreement with SportsMax or the cable provider to see whether there is provision for temporary suspension of programming in keeping with copyright or other arrangements,” said Green. “If it is deemed necessary or desirable, the subscriber may refer the matter to the Consumer Affairs Commission.”
The executive director, however, noted that, “The JFF would be entirely within its rights to grant or refuse live coverage of home matches.”
MCINTOSH… it’s very common with sports internationally where the local coverage gets blocked out
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