Email lic Chairman tas-Social Affairs Committee

Ghaziez Edwin Vassallo,

Fil-kariga tieghek ta Chairman tas-Social Affairs Committee nixtieqek li tlaqqa lil dan il-Kumitat u jigi diskuss s-suggett relatat mal-Konsumatur u t-trasmissjonijiet tal-Football mill-Kumpaniji Go u Melita. Ser nelenka ftit l-hsibijiet tieghi hawn taht:

Ejja ħa nsegwu l-futboll!


‘Il-Maltin m’għandhomx iħallsu żewġ miżati biex jaraw il-futboll”

Mawra sa Triq il-Merkanti fil-Belt, fl-aħħar ġimgħat qabel it-Tazza tad-Dinja, tirrejalizza li l-futball huwa passjoni anke ghalina il-Maltin ukoll. Xjuħ u żgħazagħ, ommijiet, tfal, professjonisti, deputati parlamentari, nanniet u ħafna oħrajn tarahom jinġabru biex ipartu l-istickers tal-calciatori ħalli jaqgħdu l-album tat-Tazza tad-Dinja. Irridu nammettu li l-fervur ta’ dawn il-ġranet li jwasslu għal din il-kompetizzjoni tant jinfluwenzawna li anki dawk il-persuni li qatt ma jinteressahom il-futboll, żgur b’xi mod jew ieħor se jollhom isegwuh!

Fortunatament, għal dawk li jħobbu jsegwu l-partiti fuq it-televixin, l-istazzjon nazzjonali se jkun qed ixandar prattikament il-logħbiet kollha tat-Tazza tad-Dinja b’xejn.

Fi ftehim li sar mal-European Broadcasting Union, stazzjonijiet nazzjonali minn stati membri żgħar akkwistaw aċċess affordabbli għad-drittijiet tax-xandir tat-Tazza tad-Dinja. Dan ifisser record ta’ 46 logħoba minn 64 li se jintwerew fuq TVM b’xejn matul din il-Word Cup. Iktar minn hekk, PBS laħqu ftehim ma’ Melita biex din tal-aħħar tipprovdi t-Tazza tad-Dinja kemm bil-kwalità ta’ trasmissjoni standard, kif ukoll dik ta’ ‘high definition’, u fl-istess waqt xorta waħda jixxandru l-logħbiet ta’ TVM u RAI bħala stazzjonijiet ‘free-to-air’. Fl-aħħar mill-aħħar, il-Maltin se jkunu qed isegwu id-doppju ta’ partiti b’xejn minn dak li ħa jaraw it-Taljani fuq ir-RAI.

Din hija l-ewwel darba fl-istorja tax-xandir, u nisperaw li ma tkunx l-aħħar.

Għaldaqstant, il-kumitat Parlamentari għall-Affarijiet Soċjali issa ghandhu jmur oltre minn hekk.

Sur Vassallo, qed nitolbok biex flimkien maghna il-Membri Parlamentari nħarsu flimkien biex il-konsumatur ikollu aċċess ġust u affordabbli għall-partiti tas-Serie A, Premier League kif ukoll dawk taċ-Champions League u kampjonati internazzjonali oħrajn.

Biex nispjega aħjar irrid nghid li taħt is-sistema attwali, f’pajjiżna hawn żewġ kumpaniji li joffru dawn is-servizzi sportivi, il-Melita u l-GO. Is-sitwazzjoni f’Malta qeda b’tali mod li l-liġi tgħid li dawk il-logħbiet l-iktar importanti għandhom jixxandru fuq stazzjonijiet ‘free-to-air’. Il-kumplament huma suġġetti għal-kompetizzjoni fis-suq tagħna. Bħalissa, biex nsegwu l-logħbiet kollha, irridu jkollna żewġ subscriptions u żewġ decoders apposta, waħda tal-GO u l-oħra tal-MELITA. L-ispiża finali biex ikollok l-isport channels fuq iż-żewġ pjattaformi jitilgħu millinqas għall bejn Euro50 u Euro 60 kull xahar.

Il-proposta tiegħi hija sempliċi. Ejja nsegwu l-partiti tal-Futboll. Nimbuttaw għall-arranġamenti bejn iż-żewġ kumpaniji li joffru dan is-servizz sabiex jaqsmu id-drittijiet bejniethom jew jifthemu li jbiegħu id-drittijiet lil xulxin, dan sabiex fl-aħħar mill-aħħar ingawdu aħna l-konsumaturi.

Din diġà qed issir f’pajjiżi oħra fl-Unjoni Ewropea. Fil-mument, kif qeda s-sistema, il-konsumtari qed jitilfu. Li nsegwu t-tim favorit tagħna qed issir spiża għolja ħafna biex insostnuha. Dan mhux biss imur kontra l-ispirtu sportiv fih innifsu iżda qed jikkalpesta d-drittijiet tal-konsumaturi. Il-konsumatur qed jitħalla mingħajr għażla. Ħallas liż-żewġ operaturi biex issegwi l-logħbiet kollha tal-leagues Ewropej jew inkella l-alternattiva hija li sseggwi ftit. Għalija dan huwa inaċċettabbli, speċjalment meta tikkonsidra id-diversi sorsi illegali li jistgħu jintużaw biex tara l-partiti, u li dawn qed iżidu fil-popolarita tagħhom minħabba din ‘il-gwerra’ bejn iż-żewġ operaturi.

Li qed nipproponi mhu xejn ta’ barra minn hawn, għaliex ħaġa simili diġa saret fir-Renju Unit. Ofcom, li hija r-regolatur uffiċjali tal-komunikazzjoni fir-Renju Unit, b’sitwazzjoni simili bħal dik ta’ Malta, saħqet li dawk li jerbħu d-drittijiet tax-xandir tal-partiti huma obbligati li jbiegħu dan is-servizz lill-kumpaniji oħrajn li jipprovdu dawn is-servizzi. Fi ftit kliem, dan jipprovdi lill-operaturi televiżivi oħrajn il-possibbilta li jxandru dawn il-kampjonati fuq il-pjattaforma tagħhom.

Din tiżgura li jkun hemm possibiltajiet għall-operaturi kollha biex jikkompetu fis-suq kemm fuq il-prezz kif ukoll fuq is-servizz mogħti lill-konsumaturi u mhux fuq dak li jixxandar fuq l-isport channels.

F’dan ix-xenarju il-konsumatur jiġi l-ewwel. Dawk il-Maltin li jħobbu jsegwu l-futboll m’għandhomx jiġu imġiegħla jħallsu żewġ kumpaniji differenti, iżda għandhom jibbażaw id-deċiżjoni tagħhom fuq fatturi oħrajn fosthom is-servizz u l-kwalità. Il-konsumatur għandu jkollu d-dritt li jagħżel u ahna bħala rappreżentanti eletti mill-poplu għandna d-dmir li nħarsu dawn id-drittijiet.

Għal dan il-għan qed nitolbok biex fost persuni ohrajnt inti, bhala Chairman tal-Kumitat Parlamentari għall-Affarijiet Soċjali, timbotta din il-materja fuq quddiem ta l-aġenda ta’ dan il-Kumitat. Nitolbok umilment ukoll li ssejjah quddiem dan il-kumitat biex jghatu l-versjoni tagghom lill-Awtorità Maltija għall-Komunikazzjoni, lill-Awtorita tax-Xandir, lill-Uffiċju tal-Affarijiet tal-Konsumatur u lill-PBS, Melita u GO. Ahna nisimgħu l-punti li jridu jqajmu li permezz tagħhom nibnu rapport dettaljat għall-Kamra fuq dan is-suġġett, bil-possibiltà li jagħti protezzjoni aħjar lid-drittijiet tal-konsumatur.

Qed nghaddilek ukoll xi materjal biex tkun tista tara x’qed jigri fl-ingilterra u ara ukoll dawn il-links dwar dan s-suggett:


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8650684.stm

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/mar/31/ofcom-sky-sports-price-cut

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/media/7542392/Ofcoms-BSkyB-ruling-may-be-more-favourable-than-feared.html

http://www.screendigest.com/news/ofcom-orders-bskyb-to-cut-wholesale-prices/view.html?start_ser=ti

http://www.mediaweek.co.uk/News/MostDiscussed/998739/Sky-begins-challenge-Ofcoms-pay-TV-ruling/

http://www.il-gensillum.com/news.asp?newscat=1&news=3282



Grazzi Hafna u nisma minn ghandhek,


Ghoddni tieghek,


David Agius MP
Whip tal-Gvern

MP wants unlimited access to TV football

A Nationalist MP is embarking on a campaign to ensure viewers can watch unrestricted football on television without the need to subscribe to two operators.

David Agius contends that an exclusive agreement should not prevent a TV company which owns the rights from selling content to its competitor.

The Nationalist whip told The Sunday Times it was not justifiable for football fans to pay more than €50 a month to be able to watch both the Champions League and Italian or English domestic leagues from next season.

Go has obtained the exclusive rights to both the Italian and English domestic leagues from 2010 to 2012, leaving football enthusiasts with no choice but to switch operator if they still want to watch their team at home.

But football lovers are in a bigger quandary since Melita has retained the exclusive rights of the popular Champions League.

Kicking off the campaign 'Let us watch football' in the run-up to the start of the 2010 World Cup, Mr Agius said he would be approaching other MPs to join him in his cause and refer the matter to the social affairs committee in Parliament.

All operators and interested parties, including the Broadcasting Authority and Public
Broadcasting Services, will be called in to give their views and opinions about the case.

Mr Agius said he intended to probe the matter in detail - and become a consumers' champion in the process - by encouraging local operators and authorities to follow the UK model.

The UK communications regulator had established that all TV operators should have the opportunity to broadcast the leagues on their platforms and ensure a level playing field for all other companies who will then compete with their rivals on value for money and service - and not according to the sports content.

For example, Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 2 are sold to rivals such as BT, Virgin and Top Up TV. The British regulator has even intervened to the extent of forcing Sky to cut its wholesale prices.
Mr Agius is determined to see his campaign through: "It's about time local operators started sharing - Melita should have a right to buy the matches from Go - even if Go has the exclusivity for the matches... and the same goes for Melita, which should sell its Champions League matches to other providers."

He cited as a good example of consumer fairness the agreement signed by Public Broadcasting Services which teamed up with other small countries to buy the rights to air 46 of the 64 World Cup matches - while Melita bought the rights from the national broadcaster.

Broadcasting experts said Mr Agius was right to use the UK model as an example of spreading the net of TV football coverage. But it was up to the local authorities to introduce legislation obliging the operator to sell content, if the contract signed permits it. The legislation will also determine the costs of sharing the content.

Melita had blamed the dramatic increase in the costs charged for the English Premier League for its decision to drop the broadcasting of the popular league. Go pounced at the opportunity, also obtaining the Italian matches - and several clients in the process.

Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando had similarly steered a campaign in 2006, coming out strongly against a deal reached by Melita Cable giving it the exclusive right to broadcast all 64 World Cup matches locally.