Blank screens during Olympics anticipated
Free TV operators admitted today that some consumers are very likely to suffer from "blank screens" during the broadcasting of the London Olympics, given that the broadcastings rights cover only terrestrial signal.
This means only those watching TV through antenna are able to watch the international sport event.
At the seminar hosted by the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, they said that they could pass through the rebroadcast signal but that could lead to infringement to the intellectual property regulations.
In her Tweets, Supinya Klangnarong, a member of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, admitted this would be another nightmare for the regulator, given that the global sports event could not reach all households in Thailand. She said that she would seek consultation with PM's Office Minister Woravat Au-apinyakul today, via a phone call, to see how this issue is to be solved.
"The Ch 7 representative said the reboradcasting on satellite so far has violated IP laws as it has been done without its permission," she said, quoting the representative who attended the NBTC seminar.
She noted that a representative of the Intellectual Property Department suggested a discussion between NBTC and the department, which could be arranged some time next week.
"We've learnt the lesson that NBTC cannot do much if the screens turn blank again," she said.
That 11 million households - hooked up to satellite TV and cable TV - could not watch the Euro 2012 tournament was a heated issue, as GMM Grammy and operators of Channels 3, 5 and 9 insisted that the rebroadcasting could violate the IP laws.
