NCN SHOULD EXPLAIN ITS RESTRICTED COVERAGE OF CERTAIN CRICKET TOURNAMENTS

Jan 09, 2013 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

NCN was always seen as the local television channel that the average man, unable to afford cable television, could turn to in order to view major sporting events, especially international cricket.
The public has come to depend on NCN to be part of these major sporting spectacles and it is for the devout cricket fans in Guyana, a heart-breaking exercise to be denied the opportunity to see certain international and regional tournaments.
While the rights to broadcast cricket are very expensive and have always presented a significant challenge to the state-owned television channel, the cricket-loving public knew that the government would always intervene and help defray the expenses associated with the cost of acquiring these rights so as to ensure that Guyanese who cannot afford to subscribe to local cable companies or who do not have access to such services because of where they live can still see cricket, compliments of NCN.
Strangely, however, a pattern seems to be emerging where NCN coverage of cricket is becoming selective and this pattern needs to be explained. It has been observed that whenever a certain privately-owned local cable television provider is screening certain major cricket tournaments, NCN does not provide television coverage.
The cable companies make their monies from subscriptions and NCN can make monies from ads. When NCN is unable to screen these major tournaments, they lose that potential. The biggest losers are, however, the local fans, who are unable to see their stars perform.
Take for example the T20 Cricket World Cup which was played last year in Sri Lanka. One would have expected that the state-owned NCN would have spared no effort to ensure that their viewers were able to see these matches. Certainly there was overwhelming local interest in this tournament. The advertising potential was there; the revenues from ads would have helped defray the cost of acquiring the rights.
If the rights could not have been obtained, it was for NCN to say this, so that the public could have been satisfied that the station in whom they have historically depended to bring cricket into their homes, had tried its best to do so, but was unable or prevented from acquiring the rights.
NCN should have explained how it failed to provide coverage of such a major cricket tournament when for years it was able to do so. Why did NCN not bring the coverage of the T20 World Cup which was eventually won by the West Indies?
Did this decision have anything to do with the fact that a local cable provider was broadcasting the tournament to its subscribers? Was there anything precluding NCN from obtaining the rights to broadcast this tournament?
At present, cricket fans are again being shortchanged by not being able to see the Regional T20 tournament which is taking place in Trinidad and Tobago. The matches are not being televised on NCN; only radio coverage is available.
Here again, NCN needs to explain why there is no television coverage of this tournament. Does this also have to do with the fact that the same local cable company is broadcasting the tournament?
NCN must understand the confusion in the minds of local fans. It seems odd that NCN could have brought coverage of the West Indies tour of Bangladesh which was also shown on local cable television, but cannot bring coverage of two major cricket tournaments, the World T20 and the Regional T20 tournament.
It has also been reported that the local cable company that is telecasting the regional T20 tournament is seeking ads for the transmission of the telecast which is being aired on ESPN. So during the transmission of the matches, the logos of companies are said to be advertised and during the break between overs, promos are being reportedly aired despite the feed coming from a cable affiliate, ESPN.
Against this background, NCN needs to issue a statement explaining its inability to bring the cricket on television. The public is grateful that radio coverage is available, but with so much interest in this tournament, it cannot be asking too much for NCN to explain how come it was possible for it to telecast the West Indies tour of Bangladesh and not provide television feeds for the T20 tournament that is now taking place.

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NCN SHOULD EXPLAIN ITS RESTRICTED COVERAGE OF CERTAIN CRICKET TOURNAMENTS

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