GO secures dominance on football rights

The addition of these channels confirms GO’s position as the leading distributor of sports content as GO subscribers already enjoy the exclusive rights to the English club channels of Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool and to the English Premier League and Italian Serie A. 

Following three sessions of the Parliamentary Social Affairs Committee which discussed the possibility that operators grant football rights to third parties, the Committee was adjourned sine die. GO took an active part in the lengthy Social Affairs Committee’s discussions on the matter which, however, were not conclusive.

The committee will be writing to the Copyrights Board and the Consumer and Competition Department to initiate an investigation about the issue of TV football rights after discussions between Melita and GO on the initiative of the CCD were not fruitful.

The talks were instigated at the request of Nationalist whip David Agius, in a tentative bid to get both GO and Melita to share sports broadcast rights.

GO acquired the exclusive broadcasting rights over the English Premier League and Italian Serie A says such content comes at a cost, aimed at gaining a competitive position in the market. “Discussions limited solely to giving any third-party access to such content would reinforce Melita’s current hold on the TV market and significantly limit GO’s ability to compete in the premium TV market,” GO claims.

Melita insists that GO has in the past refused its proposal on sharing broadcasting, saying the company was protecting its own financial interests at the expense of consumers. “Even before the last round of bidding for TV sports rights held last Autumn, Melita had approached GO to discuss ways how to make premium sports content available to consumers at affordable prices and with easier access. Back then, GO had refused Melita's offer to enter discussions on the subject and last Thursday, GO refused again a very detailed financial proposal presented by Melita explaining the prices Melita is willing to pay as part of a wholesale agreement between the operators to share sports channels.”