World rugby governing body, World Rugby has issued a statement this afternoon saying that it has no option other than to withhold Fiji’s broadcast feed for the Dubai leg of the HSBC Sevens World Series, which is disappointing for World Rugby and Fiji rugby fans.
Following questions raised by Fijivillage on whether World Rugby has made any decisions in relation to the letters sent by the Fijian government and Fiji TV, World Rugby has said from Ireland that contrary to reports, World Rugby was not consulted by the Fiji Government ahead of the Television Cross Carriage of Designated Events Decree being implemented.
It said this is the global norm for similar types of legislation introduced in other territories.
World Rugby said it is also uncomfortable with the outcome reflected in the TV Decree in Fiji which lays claim to access to the entire Rugby Designated Events (rather than the more proportionate position of limiting it to the Fiji national team matches) and represents a worrying erosion of its contractual, commercial and event ownership rights, all of which arise from tournaments which are held outside of Fiji.
World Rugby said the Fiji decree designates three World Rugby events, including the HSBC Sevens World Series, making Rugby Union the sport most affected by the new law.
It said it is deeply concerned that the decree undermines existing exclusive contractual broadcast arrangements which have been in place with Fiji TV for some years, and has the real potential to annihilate any commercial value for such world class events in Fiji in the future. World Rugby said these are revenues that are reinvested by World Rugby in the global game, including Fiji.
World Rugby said in its statement that these actions, combined with the Fiji Government’s continued lack of willingness to enter into meaningful dialogue with World Rugby, leaves the organization with no option other than to withhold the broadcast feed for the Dubai leg of the HSBC Sevens World Series, which is disappointing for World Rugby and Fiji Rugby fans.
Attorney General, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum is yet to confirm whether World Rugby has responded to the government’s request to allow coverage of the HSBC 7s tournaments on all the TV stations in the country.
We have asked him for comments however he has been in a number of meetings and said that he will comment later.
The Television Cross Carriage of Designated Events Decree brought in by the Fijian government earlier this year requires all the free to air TV stations to televise designated events which included World Rugby events like the HSBC Rugby Sevens Series tournaments.
Fiji TV was the exclusive rights holder of the 2014/ 2015 HSBC Sevens Series to air the games on the free to air channel, Fiji One however under the decree they have to share the rights with the other two stations, FBC TV and Mai TV.
World Rugby said it did not consent to the sharing of the television feed for the HSBC Sevens World Series with anyone other than Fiji TV who hold the exclusive broadcasting rights to show the 2014 and 2015 Sevens World Series.
It said for the record, World Rugby never indicated to the Fiji government its position and did not indicate or specify that World Rugby had no objections to the sharing of the exclusive rights granted to Fiji TV.
Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum is hoping that World Rugby will recognize that the decree put in place is to ensure that all the television stations provide live coverage of the major sporting events.
When Fijivillage posed the question to Sayed-Khaiyum last night on whether the government will maintain its stand if World Rugby still stands by its decision to withhold the feed for the Dubai 7s tomorrow, he made the government’s stand clear.
World Rugby has said that it has difficulty understanding the underlying requirement that Fiji TV should share the HSBC Sevens World Series event with other Free to Air broadcasters when Fiji TV is itself broadcasting the event on a Free to Air basis and thus reaching the populace of Fiji.
Sayed-Khaiyum said some areas do not have access to Fiji TV.
Fijian Holdings Limited CEO, Nouzab Fareed said FHL which is the majority shareholder of Fiji TV will follow the law of the land and is ready to share the TV feed if it is provided to Fiji TV.
