Battle over World Cup broadcasts… Jamaican court allows E-Networks to air month-long games

Jun 16, 2018 News

E-Network’s head, Vishok Persaud

It is hailed as the most watched sports event – World Cup soccer. It is currently being held in Russia with one month of games involving 32 nations.
Soccer-mad Guyana has been looking forward to the event, donning T-shirts and caps in support of one team or another.
However, the airing of the games in Guyana was threatened in the last few days by legal wrangling over the broadcast right.
The state-owned National Communications Network (NCN), which said it purchased the rights, was airing what seemed to be poor quality broadcasts, sparking angry comments from viewers.
Yesterday, it was all explained why Guyana was finding it so difficult to watch the games.
The rights to broadcast have been in contention.
On Thursday, a Jamaican court, presided by Chief Justice, Bryan Sykes, in proceedings commenced in Jamaica, issued an injunction against the St. Lucian-based owners of regional sports broadcasting network SportsMax, International Media Content Ltd (IMC).
The injunction restrained it for 28 days from terminating a carriage agreement entered into between E-Networks Inc. and IMC.
IMC had granted E-Networks Inc., in Guyana, the exclusive cable television rights to broadcast the FIFA World Cup.
IMC was ordered to commence provision of the feed to the SportsMax World Cup Channel to E-Networks for 28 days.
According to E-Networks, the rights to broadcast the FIFA World Cup are held by DIRECTV which issued a memorandum advising that only IMC, in addition to it, could grant exclusive rights to authorize cable broadcasts of the World Cup in Guyana.
“E-Networks paid IMC substantial sums to secure the exclusive cable broadcast rights of the World Cup from IMC, only to be told a few days before the scheduled broadcast that IMC may no longer honour its agreement with E-Networks.”
According to E-Networks, after it became apparent that IMC would not give it access to the World Cup feed, it immediately sought intervention of the court to prevent IMC from breaching its contracts, resulting in the court’s order.
E-Networks was represented by Daniella Silvera, Kathryn Williams and Lisa Williams of Livingston, Alexander & Levy in Jamaica, and with the local leads being Devindra Kissoon and Edward Luckhoo S.C.

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