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Maverick television operator Mai TV believes it has managed to absorb a good portion of Fiji’s free-to-air TV advertising market after just over a year in operation.
And it is expecting to switch on for the first time to viewers in Ba and Tavua tomorrow as well as launch in Labasa, Savusavu, Lomaiviti, parts of Taveuni and Ra by March next year, reaffirming its intention to cover as much of Fiji as possible before the FIFA Soccer World Cup in June, which it will air LIVE.
“The public have taken up our service and we estimate that we now have just over 50 percent advertising and viewer share in Suva, Nadi and Lautoka,” Mai TV CEO Richard Broadbridge told Fiji Live.
“By March we will have 87 percent of the country covered as per our license conditions and with all matches of the soccer for free, we should see majority of viewers in Fiji watching Mai TV next year,” he said.
The FIFA Soccer World Cup is especially seen as a major win for the company, and it expects to bring it not just to Fiji homes but to the Pacific region as well.
“We are finalising engineering plans which will see us launch to Labasa, Savusavu, Lomaiviti and parts of Taveuni and Ra by March 2010 in time for June’s 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup where we will play 64 matches LIVE. It will be the first time ever that a Soccer World Cup will be seen across the region on free-to-air TV. Being Pacific rights holder we have sublicensed these rights to stations in PNG, Solomons, Vanuatu, Cook Islands, American Samoa, Tonga, Samoa, Nauru and Nuie. Our major sponsor will be announced next week,” said Broadbridge.
He said Mai TV was excited about business in 2010, especially with soccer in the bag.
“It’s given us a major confidence boost and clients are signing up fast to be part of our growth. As a small and growing business we’re happy to say that while business has been sluggish our efforts are finally paying off.”
Broadbridge recently commended government’s efforts to come out with a new Spectrum Decree, which will rationalize Fiji’s spectrum resource, and he hoped this would translate into adequate supply of appropriate channels for the company.
“We hope to get a decent share of VHF channels to get us into some challenging areas. We have managed to keep our costs under control and have the confidence of our international content suppliers.
Overall we are more than happy with our growth. We came into a market where Fiji TV had a 14 year advantage on viewership but also 10 years as an exclusive provider by virtue of a license and over a decade not paying tax on profits.
Competition is here and we will continue to ensure we provide better content for our loyal viewers. Our sister companies SKYLITE Productions and MaiLIFE Magazine also continue to grow with our staff excited about the year ahead. If anything the hard work is slowly paying off,” Broadbridge said.
