Melita Cable said it ensured that football enthusiasts will have a platform on which they can enjoy the most widely viewed sporting event and this by acquiring the exclusive television rights to broadcast the World Cup matches.

Replying to a speech in Parliament by Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando on Monday when he insisted that the World Cup broadcasts should not be limited to a select few, Melita pointed out that almost 105,000 households and commercial outlets can access the 2006 FIFA World Cup this summer.

"Had Melita not invested in this event it is highly probable that the vast majority of households would not have had the opportunity to access the event," the company said.

It explained that over the past six months it had been receiving queries regarding the broadcasting of games. "There was strong concern that the 2006 FIFA World Cup would not be available to the public, given that RAI's signal will be encrypted and that there seemed to be no interest from any of the local TV stations to acquire the rights."

Melita Cable said it acquired the television rights to ensure that it met the public's strong demand for this event.

It added that the process for the acquisition of the right was very transparent and was open to any network provider and broadcaster in the territory.

"The award of the rights to the 2006 FIFA World Cup is dependent on a number of criteria, including subscriber base and reach," it said.