Football enthusiasts can enjoy the upcoming World Cup football matches without paying anything extra after Melita Cable signed a contract with Smash TV to give the station the rights to broadcast all the World Cup games.
The TV station announced that it will be airing live the opening ceremony, the opening game, the semi-final games and the final, while the rest of the games will not be aired live. Programmes with commentary and analysis will also be aired.
Earlier this year Melita Cable had announced it has secured the exclusive rights to air the World Cup matches, which meant that only its subscribers could enjoy them at a cost. There was no fall-back position as RAI, the Italian public broadcaster, was not going to air all matches. This created a wave of anger among local football enthusiasts who brought forward their case to the local authorities.
In March the Malta Broadcasting Authority obliged Melita Cable plc to broadcast eight football matches of the World Cup, including the final game, final for third place, semi-finals, and the quarter-finals free of charge. It stated that the TV provider should enter into a deal with a local TV station to broadcast these matches for free.
The Malta Communications Authority on its part said it will no longer regulate tariffs charged to subscribers for broadcast content as of the date of coming into force of the new legal framework for electronic communications. Therefore it cannot oblige Melita to air the matches free of charge.
Smash TV said it is working with the Broadcasting Authority and the Malta Communications Authority for technical help to make its signal reachable on the whole Maltese territory.
See also:
Melita Cable's acquisition of the World Cup TV rights
by MM sports - Jan 18, 2006, 20:53
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