We will not go to court - Smart Tv
May 09, 2011
IT will come as a major relief to the long-suffering local football fans that Smart TV is not interested in waging a nasty war to regain sole ownership of the Uganda Super League (USL) television rights, which it claims were illegally sold to SuperSport last month.
By Charles Mutebi
IT will come as a major relief to the long-suffering local football fans that Smart TV is not interested in waging a nasty war to regain sole ownership of the Uganda Super League (USL) television rights, which it claims were illegally sold to SuperSport last month.
Smart TV is willing to co-exist, something that, according to CEO Martin Abuya, is embedded in the deal it signed with the USL on January 9 2011. The Smart TV deal has a provision that allows for the two television companies to share the broadcasting pie.
Whether that outcome can be reached remains to be seen but Abuya says negotiation not litigation is the best way forward. Smart TV had a meeting with USL officials last week and there is another set for this week.
“We don’t want Uganda football to suffer because if we go to extreme measures, that means that the thing (Super League matches) will not go on air,†said Abuya during an interview at Serena Hotel yesterday. “What we are trying to do is to find an amicable solution before we take another step but we are hoping for the best. Going to court is the last resort.â€
Mercifully for local football, the initial signs from the meeting the USL had with Smart TV are positive, as Abuya revealed.
“From the discussions we had with them it looks like we will be able to work out something. That is what they told us because they have gone back to SuperSport and told them (about our grievance) so that still leaves a lot of things open.
“We don’t want to scuttle the deal for SuperSport and USL. What we want is a quality product on our platform, SuperSport’s platform, which benefits everybody.â€
Of course, it was benefits that the USL executive had on their minds when they signed the $5m (sh12b) that gave SuperSport all the television rights of the Super League.
Abuya says that agreement contravened their contract with the USL on two fronts.
Firstly, the SuperSport deal nullified Smart TV’s ownership of the Super League’s digital terrestrial transmission (DTT) rights. Secondly, it ignored the provision stating that Smart TV have to be involved in any future sponsorship agreement with any other party. “The agreement states very clearly that we should be involved in any agreement with any third party,†Abuya boldly stated.
“The deal was that when they speak to SuperSport or any other person, we need to be part of the discussions because there is some revenue share involved in that as well they never did that. We only heard about it when they signed the deal with SuperSport.â€
On the rights issue, Abuya explained: “We were given rights on the platform that we are on, which is DTT, leaving open the option of anybody who is coming on Satellite.
However, with the new deal they have signed with SuperSport, they have signed out all the rights for all the platforms, whether it is free to air or DTT or Satellite or cable. They have given it all out. That is where we feel aggrieved.
IT will come as a major relief to the long-suffering local football fans that Smart TV is not interested in waging a nasty war to regain sole ownership of the Uganda Super League (USL) television rights, which it claims were illegally sold to SuperSport last month.
Smart TV is willing to co-exist, something that, according to CEO Martin Abuya, is embedded in the deal it signed with the USL on January 9 2011. The Smart TV deal has a provision that allows for the two television companies to share the broadcasting pie.
Whether that outcome can be reached remains to be seen but Abuya says negotiation not litigation is the best way forward. Smart TV had a meeting with USL officials last week and there is another set for this week.
“We don’t want Uganda football to suffer because if we go to extreme measures, that means that the thing (Super League matches) will not go on air,†said Abuya during an interview at Serena Hotel yesterday. “What we are trying to do is to find an amicable solution before we take another step but we are hoping for the best. Going to court is the last resort.â€
Mercifully for local football, the initial signs from the meeting the USL had with Smart TV are positive, as Abuya revealed.
“From the discussions we had with them it looks like we will be able to work out something. That is what they told us because they have gone back to SuperSport and told them (about our grievance) so that still leaves a lot of things open.
“We don’t want to scuttle the deal for SuperSport and USL. What we want is a quality product on our platform, SuperSport’s platform, which benefits everybody.â€
Of course, it was benefits that the USL executive had on their minds when they signed the $5m (sh12b) that gave SuperSport all the television rights of the Super League.
Abuya says that agreement contravened their contract with the USL on two fronts.
Firstly, the SuperSport deal nullified Smart TV’s ownership of the Super League’s digital terrestrial transmission (DTT) rights. Secondly, it ignored the provision stating that Smart TV have to be involved in any future sponsorship agreement with any other party. “The agreement states very clearly that we should be involved in any agreement with any third party,†Abuya boldly stated.
“The deal was that when they speak to SuperSport or any other person, we need to be part of the discussions because there is some revenue share involved in that as well they never did that. We only heard about it when they signed the deal with SuperSport.â€
On the rights issue, Abuya explained: “We were given rights on the platform that we are on, which is DTT, leaving open the option of anybody who is coming on Satellite.
However, with the new deal they have signed with SuperSport, they have signed out all the rights for all the platforms, whether it is free to air or DTT or Satellite or cable. They have given it all out. That is where we feel aggrieved.