As we get ready for the Dubai 7s kick off tomorrow afternoon, world rugby governing body, World Rugby (formerly known as the IRB), the Fijian government and Fiji Television Limited are yet to confirm on whether live coverage of the Dubai 7s will go ahead tomorrow.
World Rugby has withheld live coverage of the Dubai 7s this weekend and the South Africa 7s next weekend for Fiji.
Attorney General, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum is yet to confirm on 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.
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 however under the decree they have to share the rights with the other two stations, FBC TV and Mai TV.
In a letter to Sayed-Khaiyum from World Rugby’s Head of Legal and Legislative Affairs and the Head of Commercial, Broadcast and Marketing which is also copied to the Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama, they say World Rugby 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.
World Rugby said it was Fiji TV, following an order from the department of the Attorney General’s Office who shared the feed of the Gold Coast Sevens as they felt compelled to do so.
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