The Media Development Authority (MDA) has ordered SingTel's mio TV to share all BPL matches over the next three seasons with its green rival.

Following a month of investigation, the MDA concluded that SingTel's broadcast rights deal with the Football Association Premier League (FAPL)  ‐  which the pay‐TV operator had said was "non‐exclusive"  ‐  was, in essence, an exclusive one and is now at the mercy ofthe cross‐carriage rule.

MDA said that the SingTel‐FAPL deal "contained certain clauses which prevent or restrict or are likely to prevent or restrict the same content from being acquired or otherwise obtained for transmission on selected platforms in Singapore by other pay‐TV retailers". SingTel's BPL deal with the FAPL for the 2013‐2016 seasons last October ‐ then deemed "non‐exclusive" ‐ would have helped it steer clear of the cross‐carriage rule.

Estimates of what SingTel paid for this package of rights range from US$200 million to US$250 million,significantly lower than the S$400 million it was said to have paid to wrest an earlier round of BPL rights from StarHub in 2009.

If SingTel shares the content with StarHub as per MDA'sinstruction, the subscription cost of content will be "substantially higher", Singtel's top executive Mr Alleb Lew warned last night. SingTel is appealing to the Minister for Communications and Information for MDA's decision to be overturned, as is its right under
the media regulatory framework.

Source: AmFraser