Moldovan Radiobroadcasters refuse to give cable operators right to retransmit programmes for free

Moldova’s Radiobroadcasters are not willing to give the cable operators the right to retransmit their programmes free of charge. For this reason, the Broadcasting Coordination Council (BCC) put off Thursday the adoption of the decision on retransmission of the programme services of the Radiobroadcasters under Moldova’s jurisdiction. The most debated provision was that one that recommends the radiobroadcasters under Moldova’s jurisdiction to give the service providers the right to retransmit their programmes without payment. Attending the BCC session, Anatol Golea, director of “TV 7” channel said radiobroadcasters did not agree with this provision. As he says, they sustain great expenses and it is unfair to give the cable operators the right to retransmit their programmes free of charge. On the other hand, Vladimir Topal, head of Patronage Association of Radiobroadcasters, considers that in compliance with the law, these channels should be retransmitted gratis to the cable network, all the more since it is an international practice. He said if local stations would accept to give the cable operators the right to retransmit the channels gratis, they could include other channels in their packages, which as a result would serve as an advantage for consumers. The BCC members had split opinions on the issue as well. While some persons pleaded for accepting this draft decision, the others were against, mentioning that the situation must be examined thoroughly. Following long debates, the approval of this item has been postponed. At Wednesday’s session, BCC banned the retransmission of the Russian “The Fighter” (“Boets”) TV channel, on grounds that it promoted violence.