As the world’s top athletes prepare to compete in the London 2012 Olympics, the country’s rival cable companies have been silently squaring off in a bitter dispute over broadcasting rights.
The Broadcasting Corporation of The Bahamas (BCB) has acquired the exclusive rights to air the Summer Olympics, according to the region’s distributor International Media Content Limited.
Well-placed sources told Guardian Business that Cable Bahamas Limited (CBL) has attempted to gain shared access of the feed for months. BCB (commonly known as ZNS) has persistently scoffed at the shared partner, Guardian Business understands.
Under the current system, ZNS would broadcast a retransmitted Caribbean feed of the Olympic Games from Jamaica. The exclusivity agreement means Bahamians will not be able to watch the Olympics through major networks such as the National Broadcasting Association (NBC) in the U.S., the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) in Canada, or the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in the UK.
ZNS is the only entity capable of providing further coverage in The Bahamas.
According to a statement from International Media Content Limited: “IMC will hold any entity, whether broadcast channel, cable operation or any type of business broadcasting the London Olympics without authorization in breach of its rights, and will seek all approximately legal remedies, including damages to the furthest extent of the law.”
Michael Moss, former chairman of ZNS, said prior to his departure the network indeed acquired exclusive rights to the Olympics, which cost somewhere in the range of $300,000. Moss added that the final price was the result of intense negotiations “to bring the fee down to an acceptable level”.
The London Olympics begins on July 27 and runs until August 12. The Bahamas has 24 athletes competing for gold.
