By Andrew Irumba
Three main media brands that control over 80% of Uganda’s broadcasting space have threatened to round up at one go and drag four giant companies to courts of law, accusing them of illegally re-laying their contents for commercial purposes yet they give it to out for free to free-to-air subscribers through signet, as a way of disseminating information.
Next Media Services (NBS TV), Africa Broadcasting Uganda Ltd/ Nation media Group (NTV) and Vision Group(Bukedde TV) have given only seven days to MTN, Signal network Ltd (Signet), Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC) and Al Bayan Media Ltd (Yo TV) to jointly work around the clock within seven days and compensate the four companies mentioned above with Shs9.9 billion without fail or risk being dragged to court at their own peril.
It’s said that Yo TV has been conniving with Signet, the distributor of all content under the Uganda broadcasting corporation to re-lay content that is being freely supplied by the said TVs for free access, yet Signet apparently sales it to Ayo TV, which later relays it on MTN platforms.
MTN’s Yo product is a competing product with Airtel TV.
The four suppliers of the contents to Signet contend through their lawyer that they’ve never authorized any third party to sale their contents to third parties either for commercial or non commercial purposes, and therefore should be compensated with that ‘little’ money, considering the four years Yo and Signet have been selling their contents. Read their demands Bellow;
