Soccer fans in Singapore like myself are unwilling to pay for another sports channel and what’s more, another service provider (SingTel’s mio TV) just to catch a bunch of matches.

After announcing a 3-year deal in which SingTel gets exclusive broadcast rights to UEFA’s Champion League and Cup matches, soccer fans across Singapore have all expressed much unhappiness. Comments, so far, seem to have fallen on deaf ears. The bottom line is: no one wants to pay more for the same.

I share the same sentiment with a Business Times article I read this morning: I feel that for this to become a win-win situation, perhaps the broadcasters should consider content sharing. Considering that SingTel mio TV is only available to home owners, and SingTel has no plans to offer the service in businesses like pubs and coffeeshops, fans would be hard-pressed to find a social venue to watch their favorite teams play. After all, who wants to pay $100.00 upfront for installation and another $16.00 monthly as subscription?

This seems to present itself as an opportunity for StarHub to shine for their present cable customers, but oh! how this perfect chance to build up customer satisfaction and loyalty was wasted. According to StarHub earlier this week, plans to reduce subscription fees will not even be considered. Nonetheless, the lack of competition does not help in providing the necessary drive for these broadcasters to make decisions benefitting customers.

For now, I will adopt a wait-and-see approach. I’m certainly not keen on getting another set-top box sitting in my media room.

Filed under: General