Byron Buckley and Yahneake Sterling, Gleaner Writers
CABINET HAS granted approval for the tabling of a bill in Parliament aimed at allowing "independent programme providers" in the cable television sector to earn revenue from advertising.
The proposed amendments to the Broadcasting and Radio Re-Diffusion Act also seek to recognise nine categories of "differentiated services" available in the Broadcast Industry, Information Minister Burchell Whiteman told journalists attending the weekly post-cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House on Tuesday. The amendments will also permit the use of new technologies, such as wireless communication, in the subscriber or cable television services.
However, the idea to allow or disallow advertising on local cable television, has been a long-standing source of contention between free-to-air television operators and programme producers for cable television stations. The free-to-air national television operators argue that the cable TV sector already has the advantage of subscription fees and, therefore, should not be given access to advertising.
"It opens up the field in an unfair manner," commented Winston Ridgard, general manager of Love TV. "It definitely makes the advertising pie much smaller and organisations, like Love TV, that are restricted in the quantum of advertisers that we can take, and also in terms of the expenses that we have for advertising, are going to be at a disadvantage."
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In contrast, two local cable TV operators, Oliver McIntosh and Delroy Thompson have welcomed news of the impending legislation.
"I think it is something that was coming; it is great for the development of the (programme production) industry in Jamaica. The cable business worldwide has developed in terms of content providers in each company," said McIntosh, who is the CEO of Sports Max, a provider of sports programmes. "In order for the industry to keep developing in Jamaica, the content providers will need to cover their cost (and) one of the significant ways to do that is through advertising."
"It has been a long time coming, I believe this will allow us as independent programme providers, to earn revenue so as to provide better programming," echoed Thompson of Juice TV, producer of entertainment programmes.
Broadcast services to be enacted:
Commercial (sound broadcasting) islandwide
Commercial (sound broadcasting) limited area
Commercial television
broadcasting islandwide
Public Service: non commercial islandwide
Public Service: non commercial limited area
Public Service: commercial islandwide
Public Service: commercial limited area
International relay service
