Consumer Council concerned over issues affecting Sky Pacific consumers

The Consumer Council of Fiji has today raised serious concern that Fiji Television Limited and Digicel Fiji have not disclosed pertinent issues affecting consumers in the transfer of Sky Pacific from Fiji Television Limited to Digicel Fiji.

Council Chief Executive, Premila Kumar said customers have signed up service contracts with Sky Pacific and it appears many are in the dark about the impending changes following Digicel Fiji’s takeover of the service.

She is questioning whether this means that paid Sky subscribers will now have to fork out more money to buy an antenna to watch Fiji One.

Kumar said Fiji TV must be held accountable as a lot of people outside the reach of free to air channels had bought the Sky Pacific dish just to watch Fiji One.

The new owner of Sky Pacific, Digicel Fiji has sent out an email to customers today saying that Fiji One and the Pacific Channel will be removed from Sky Pacific’s channels tomorrow as the current law requires Digicel to remove all local content from the programming when Digicel takes operational control.

Under the Media Industry Development Amendment Act, no local content including local news can be shown on a Pay TV service run by a foreign owned company or media organization.

After the email was sent out that Fiji One will be shut down on the Sky Pacific channel from tomorrow, people who have the Sky Pacific satellite dish to watch Fiji One have called us up saying why this is being done as they cannot watch Fiji One with the antenna in their area.

People have called us from parts of Valelevu, Pacific Harbour, Wainibuka, parts of Levuka town, parts of Kadavu including Tavuki, Vunisea and Yawe, and areas in Savusavu and Bua.

During the announcement of the sale of Sky Pacific earlier this month, Digicel Fiji Chief Executive Officer, Darren McLean had stated that they will follow the law when they take over the business.

Under the law, any person intending to provide subscription based pay television services may do so provided that person has obtained a special license approved by the Minister for Communications, which shall be subject to conditions as determined by the Minister.

We have contacted Communications Minister, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum.

He is expected to make a statement later today.