Problems facing new TV stations

I would like to highlight some of the problems facing new TV station clients who are trying to broadcast on local networks.

The procedures to broadcast have become more stringent, particularly after the failure of Family TV. Those planning to open a TV station have to first seek a network willing to carry them before they are even assessed by the competent authority on their financial viability as well as other resources, human and technical.

The choice of TV networks is very limited. The business is confined to the exiting duopoly. Moreover, the prices they charge TV stations to allow them to operate are quite high and completely at the networks' mercy. The assessment made by these TV platforms to decide whether to carry a TV station follows no pre-established technical criteria and is purely a business decision which does not reflect the spirit of the Broadcasting Act.

As the small licensed TV stations, such as Calypso Music TV and Favourite channels, are bound by "exclusivity", they cannot move from one cable TV network to another like the major TV channels, which clearly goes against the concept of open and fair competition. This move only safeguards the interests of the platforms that are denying these stations the right to choose their broadcasting network.

Besides, the Broadcasting Act, under the "must carry" clause obliges the TV networks to carry each officially licensed TV station. Yet, this obligation was not enforced for smaller TV stations, so these platforms are determining what stations viewers can watch. So who determines who broadcasts and what they broadcast - is it the authority or the TV networks? Something should be done to ensure a more liberalised market and greater accountability of the decision-making bodies, enabling more TV stations to open and thus give viewers a wider choice, thereby promoting freedom of expression.