'RCTI' says trouble settled with FIFA over W. Cup rights
'RCTI' says trouble settled with FIFA over W. Cup rights
Muhammad Nafik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Indonesians will likely continue to enjoy viewing World Cup games
for one full month as RCTI claimed on Friday it had seen off a
threat by the international soccer body FIFA to revoke the sole
rights the private TV channel holds to broadcast the spectacular
one-month event.
FIFA scolded RCTI for allowing a spillover of its broadcast
via satellite and threatened to strip it of the rights, unless
the television network overcame the problem soon.
The admonishment was made on June 1 through KirchMedia, a
giant international multimedia company appointed by the FIFA as
holder of sole rights to air the games worldwide.
"The threat is serious. But we have explained to KirchMedia
what steps we have taken to deal with this problem, and they may
accept it," RCTI spokesman Teguh Juwarno told The Jakarta Post on
Friday.
"God willing, there will be no more problems and the
Indonesian people will continue to be able to watch the World
Cup," he added.
Teguh said the country's oldest private television network had
to select a number of games to broadcast each day to reduce the
spillover from its satellite broadcasts into India, Singapore,
Malaysia and several parts of Australia.
Consequently, the move has caused many Indonesian viewers
dependent on reception via parabola to miss out on the
international event, he added.
He argued that the spillover was unavoidable because the
RCTI's satellite transponder's footprint spread into several
parts of foreign countries, including India, Singapore, Australia
and Malaysia.
Teguh apologized to disappointed Indonesian viewers for the
channel disruption.
Previously, the House of Representatives lashed out at RCTI
for ignoring the fate of 70 million Indonesians who were excluded
from watching the games.
The affected 70 million viewers excluded many others who
always relied on a parabola to receive a TV signal.
Legislators urged the private TV channel to share its rights
with state broadcaster TVRI, which can reach more than 80 percent
of the country's viewers.
"RCTI should be willing to collaborate with TVRI or other
television networks so that the public's viewing rights can be
adequately catered for," Bambang Sadono, a member of House
Commission I, told a hearing with Minister of Information and
Communications Syamsul Muarif on Thursday.