By Karl Cheong
When I was a kid, one of my favorite things to do was watching TV. Though the TV set in my home was just old and tiny at that time, there were so many fantastic and fun programs to watch. With all the touching dramas, funny animated shows and interesting documentaries, I could stay in front of the TV all day long!
However, the giant LED TV in my home has become a decoration of the flat. As many legal and business problems occurred in relation to communal aerial systems, which resulted in only a handful channels, like TDM, TVB and ATV available for Macao residents.
Macau Cable TV Company Service Center.
People in Macao, unlike other regions in the world, mainly depended on several unregulated community antenna services for TV service. The service started in the 70’s. Those companies owned such a large installation base. More than 85% of residents depended on this type of service. It is hard to get them closed down and, even after the cable TV concession contract was granted to Macao Cable TV Company (MCTV) in 1999. Therefore a legal case between those companies and MCTV started and has lasted till now.
According to the TV service survey conducted by University of Macau (UM), more than half of Macao residents did not agree with the policy of TV service. Despite the concession contract, the government did not deal with the problems significantly during those years. For example, it did not provide financial assistance for setting up TV antenna on every building in Macao. Also, when Portugal Telecom SGPS SA (PT) looked for a buyer for their MCTV stake worth about $100 million at the time, the government failed to buy it back, nor did it attempt to buy back the concession contract when the MCTV legal case happened.
Due to the nature of the unlicensed TV service offered by communal aerial systems, although they provide most watched channels for about $30, a fraction of price MCTV would ask for, they can’t obtain a proper copyright to legally deliver content, and the right owners’ complaints lead to a decreasing number of available channels. Moreover, they set up many transmission cables across the gaps of buildings. Those cables affect the stability of service and safety of people.
MCTV also has its own problems. Being the cable company with legal concession, the service coverage is too limited. Even though there are people willing to pay higher prices for MCTV service, they are unable to switch because their buildings have not yet been covered. Despite MCTV claims that their coverage reaches 100% of the city, there is usually no coverage for low buildings in old districts.
Alternative services like Internet TV have gained more and more attention. According to the UM survey, 80% of the people agreed that it is very necessary to introduce new TV service providers. When the concession contract ends in April 2014, the TV service will be undergoing a transition period. The government is making policies regarding the TV service in Macao. The TV service will be open for more companies. It will have a wider option of channels to choose from, whether they are local or oversea.
Besides that, the Internet can also play a large role in the scenario. Lots of homes have fast Internet connection and many of us have already enjoyed watching online videos everyday. The Internet can also be used for providing a video subscription and IPTV service. Oversea telecom companies have also provided TV services, competing with cable companies.
Hopefully, soon we can expect improved TV services. Then everyone can enjoy the great TV experience as I did in my childhood.