Singapore’s MDA has announced the conclusion of its consultation process on revision of that country’s designated content list. (This is a list of specific sporting events that must be offered for broadcast on FTA television. Singapore adopts the Australian practice of calling this an “antisiphoning” list, though the relevancy of that term outside Australia is questionable.)
The revisions continue a practice in effect since 2003. In the latest revisions, the government made use of existing legal authorities to divide the list into two parts: Category A, for which FTA television must be offered rights for live or near-live broadcast of the full event, and Category B, for which live broadcast may be only on pay-TV, but FTA TV must be offered rights for delayed broadcast (defined as after 48 hours after the event, unless the parties agree otherwise.)
A few items were removed from the 2003 list, including the local S-League soccer matches and the Winter Olympics (downgraded from Category A to Category B). A few new items were added, including the final rounds of the FIFA World Cup and the F1 race in Singapore.
The outcome of the consultation is broadly in line with recommendations made at an earlier stage by an industry expert panel (which included both CASBAA and the two leading Singapore pay-TV platforms). The pay-TV industry had sought an even shorter list. That said, the conclusion of the process still leaves Singapore in the position of having a carefully defined and well-thought-out list that is limited in scope and balances national interest with commercial considerations in an equitable manner – far from the intrusive and one-sided policies adopted in some other markets in the Asia-Pacific region.
MDA issued a “Closing Note” to the consultation, (download here ) as well as a public notice, downloadable here.