RBA warns media houses against rights violations

 

Fans watch a football match on a satellite channel. Some private media houses have defied Rwanda Broadcasting Authority’s warning to cease screening the 2014 Fifa World Cup matches without its authorisation as the exclusive broadcasting rights holder. Photo/Cyril Ndegeya 

By Edmund Kagire Rwanda Today

In Summary

• The first week of the tournament, which is taking place in Brazil, saw bitter wrangles between RBA and others who had promised to continue broadcasting the event, prompting Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (Rura) to intervene.
• Rura observed that “Fifa should be the one to protect RBA content from any third party who may illegally access or use it.”
• Rura’s response was seen as a go-ahead by the defiant media organisations to continue screening matches from other sources or directly from the state broadcaster Rwanda Television (RTV).

The rights to broadcast the ongoing Fifa World Cup continue to pit private television and radio stations against Rwanda Broadcasting Agency (RBA), which says it has exclusive rights to relay all content related to the biggest world football competition.

TV1, Lemigo TV, Flash FM, Radio 1 and pay-per-view service provider StarTimes have faced the wrath of RBA, which insists it is the only authorised entity to broadcast or distribute World Cup content in Rwanda and it will protect those rights at all cost.

The first week of the tournament, which is taking place in Brazil, saw bitter wrangles between RBA and others who had promised to continue broadcasting the event, prompting Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (Rura) to intervene.

Rura however side-stepped the matter, stating that it could not intervene in a matter concerning RBA and other parties, namely African Union of Broadcasters (AUB) and Fifa, with which it has a contract, as it was outside its mandate.

In a letter, a copy of which was seen by Rwanda Today, Rura observed that “Fifa should be the one to protect RBA content from any third party who may illegally access or use it.”

Rura’s response was seen as a go-ahead by the defiant media organisations to continue screening matches from other sources or directly from the state broadcaster Rwanda Television (RTV).

Consequently, RBA director-general Arthur Asiimwe has faulted Rura for failing to fulfil its duties.

“Isn’t it Rura’s job to regulate content?” Mr Asiimwe asked while blaming Rura for failing to resolve the standoff over broadcasting rights. “If we went to Rura to say, look, these people are broadcasting our content illegally, why wouldn’t they intervene?”

While the local media houses continue to broadcast the World Cup, Mr Asiimwe says that a precedent will be set when the AUB comes in to regulate the field and penalise whoever is showing the games without authorisation.

“We paid $125, 000 for the rights,” he said. “It would have been easier for us to tap the games from DStv but we wouldn’t because we know the implications of doing so.

“It is time people knew that rights exist and they should be respected.

“Unfortunately, our media houses continue to work this way, infringing on copyrights and intellectual property, and the regulator Rura is not helping matters. This will set a precedent because whoever continues to show the games will face fines. We are recording everything.”

To date, RBA said it only left RTV on the StarTimes menu after removing the channels that were showing the games because most Rwandans own the Chinese firm’s decoders.

Mr Asiimwe said that, before the World Cup, he asked the private media houses to help cover part of the cost of the rights but they refused.

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