Grammy Seeks Renegotiation With Uefa

[Lite Beer]

EURO 2012

Grammy seeks renegotiation with Uefa

Piyanart Srivalo

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- GMM Grammy Plc, the Euro 2012 broadcasting rights holder in Thailand, has instructed its legal team to renegotiate with Uefa on the broadcasting terms.

Paiboon Damrongchaitham, chairman of GMM Grammy, told reporters before attending the meeting with PM’s Office Minister today at the Government House that upon approval from Uefa, the company can feed the broadcasting signal to other operators including TrueVisions.

"If Uefa does not permit this, Grammy may find a leeway to feed the signal. However, this must be supported by a (government) order, as Uefa may turn off the switch. We have to sort things out. Hopefully, there would be good news," he said.

All operators are allowed to submit their requests for re-broadcasting by 7pm today.

Grammy is one of companies summoned for today’s meeting, as a number of consumers who are watching TV through cable network could not watch the football tournament. The programmes are now screened mostly through Channels 3, 5 and 9, available through antennas, as well as GMM Grammy’s set-top boxes.

At the House Committee on Broadcasting and Telecommunications yesterday, Grammy was bombarded for taking consumers as "hostages".

PM’s Office Ministr Woravat Aua-pinyakul told reporters today that the result of Grammy’s renegotiation with Uefa should be known next week. Asked if the governmetn will help Grammy in this regard, he declined to comment.

-- The Nation 2012-06-15

[Hellhound66]

Smoke and mirrors -But if it gets the job done under the heading "compromise", that's good news. GMM are hemorrhaging on this deal, we can only hope that next time they want to bid for rights they do it at a value that is commercially viable; especially as True said they did not even put in a bid for the Euro 2012.

Edited June 15, 2012 by Hellhound66

[pipo1000]

Smoke and mirrors -But if it gets the job done under the heading "compromise", that's good news. GMM are hemorrhaging on this deal, we can only hope that next time they want to bid for rights they do it at a value that is commercially viable; especially as True said they did not even put in a bid for the Euro 2012.

Or maybe even better, that next time True makes a bid theirselves or at least make a deal in time with the license holder so that they can provide a valuable service for the money they charge their valued customers every month.

[Hellhound66]

Smoke and mirrors -But if it gets the job done under the heading "compromise", that's good news. GMM are hemorrhaging on this deal, we can only hope that next time they want to bid for rights they do it at a value that is commercially viable; especially as True said they did not even put in a bid for the Euro 2012.

Or maybe even better, that next time True makes a bid theirselves or at least make a deal in time with the license holder so that they can provide a valuable service for the money they charge their valued customers every month.

When the new NBTC legislation comes out this fiasco will never occur again.

Edited June 15, 2012 by Hellhound66

[lungmi]

I saw the matches on an Indian, Lao and a Vietnam channel. I little bit snow-storm in Alaska, but a good fan of football survives.

[Bluespunk]

Too little too late. Both companies are a pile of cr*p. Sod 'em all.

[bigbamboo]

What a bunch of amateurs!

The biggest danger now, as already mentioned, is that UEFA will get sick of the Thais playing silly buggers and pull the plug and we won't be able to watch it at all.

[LuckyLew]

Sure that will happen right after I land my flying pig at Suvarnabhumi airport

[Phuketshrew]

Currently watching Euros on channel 3 through my 'coathangers and music stand' aerial.

Ukraine vs France game suspended due to weather conditions.

I am sure glad I didn't go out and buy a Grammy box though. The program, Football Mania, that they are currently broadcasting is absolute dross and not worth paying a baht for. Absolute rubbish with three stooges with no football knowledge trying to be funny.

Only a couple of hours to go now though - Engerlaand, Engerlaaand, Engerlaaand!

[webfact]

Final UEFA appeal launched

The Nation

Gmm hints at defying football association but won't bear consequences alone , GMM execs head to Europe for meeting with Uefa

BANGKOK: -- The dispute involving TrueVisions and GMM Grammy over the rights to broadcast live Euro 2012 matches took another twist yesterday, with the chiefs of both conglomerates chatting together under the mediation of a Cabinet member with oversight of consumerprotection issues.

Paiboon Damrongchaitham, chairman of GMM Grammy, which purchased the television rights from Uefa, and Supachai Chearavanont, CEO of True Corporation, which has been under fire for failing to deliver a live feed of the matches to TrueVisions subscribers, yesterday talked for an hour in the presence of PM's Office Minister Woravat Auapinyakul. Woravat said the authorities were monitoring GMM's efforts in the case.

Speaking with the press after onehour talks behind closed doors, Paiboon delivered some ambiguous remarks about "GMM Grammy possibly violating Uefa's refusal to allow TrueVisions to rebroadcast the football games."

"I will probably show the live matches [on both free TV channels and True Channels], breaking the [uefa] rule, but there must be somebody ordering me to do so. I will not be the only one held responsible, because if the rule is broken and they pull the plug, then all screens [on both freeTV channels and GMM Z settop boxes] will go dark. How are we all going to solve the problem then? How are we going to fight the lawsuits to be lodged [by Uefa] against us?" he said.

Paiboon said that yesterday he dispatched a team of GMM Grammy senior executives to Europe to hold talks with Uefa over the issue. They would submit the names of broadcasters in Thailand wanting to air the remaining live football matches.

"If Uefa doesn't accept new terms in this meeting, it will likely turn us all down, but this time we will talk with Uefa in person with all necessary documents available. And the way Uefa has been responding to us so far, they've shown signs of sympathy for us, but we have to be prepared if Uefa turns down all new terms," he added.

Asked to clarify his "violating Uefa's rule" comment, and whether GMM Grammy would be making this decision alone, Paiboon said: "This condition is essential, and [members of the media] please be very careful about this point. The issue [the broadcasting dispute in Thailand] has been closely monitored by Uefa representatives in Thailand to protect its rights. Everyone is very concerned about this and will not let me die alone," he said, without elaborating.

Asked whether, in the event that Uefa permitted GMM Grammy to allow TrueVisions to relay live feeds to TrueVisions subscribers free of charge, buyers who purchased GMM Z settop boxes would seek damages from GMM Grammy, Paiboon said he and Supachai would join hands in dealing with this particular matter. "But buyers will be fully compensated, and Khun Supachai is a gentleman who will share responsibilities on this," he said.

Supachai, asked whether True subscribers would watch the remaining live matches for free if Uefa permitted rebroadcasting on True channels, said it would depend on the conditions of Uefa's approval. "For example, if permission is not given by Uefa to broadcast through the free channels [3, 5 and 9], the matches will be aired in a special package and that would require fees from subscribers."

Woravat said a decision from Uefa should be known by next week after its officials met with the GMM Grammy senior executives, who were expected to leave Thailand either yesterday evening or this morning.

Somporn Theerarojpong, chief executive officer of PSI Holding, a major satellite TV set trader and distributor, said the company had submitted requests to rebroadcast live Euro 2012 matches to GMM Grammy yesterday.

"What we are waiting for is Uefa's answer," Somporn said.

-- The Nation 2012-06-16

[kartman]

Presume the trip will include watching live Uefa matches and the Government and True trying to find out whats happening ,'oh dear their mobiles are switched off' .

[SuneeTH]

It all boils down to money.

If TRUE wants to broadcast to their customer, TRUE will have to pay GMM (or directly to UEFA) for it.

Nothing in this world is Free.

Is TRUE naive on this case? I guess not.

[Bluespunk]

GMM can't defy UEFA, utter nonsense to suggest it can by their spokeswan*er. If they do not do as told by UEFA. then that is the end of all football broadcasting in this country, EPL, world cup, friendlies the lot. Idiot.

Edited June 16, 2012 by Bluespunk

[theblether]

UEFA will not be impressed by this shambles. It's a complete and utter embarrassment for the Thai business community.

By the way, I'm Scottish, and I'm delighted England won 3-2. For the first time in my life I'm rooting for them as they have gone into this tournament with their backs to the wall. The pub I was in tonight in central Glasgow went ballistic when England scored the winner. Excellent stuff.

Moral of the story for England? Play with your feet and not with your mouths and you'll find far more

support across the World than you could ever imagine.

[theblether]

GMM can't defy UEFA, utter nonsense to suggest it can by their spokeswan*er. If they do not do as told by UEFA. then that is the end of all football broadcasting in this country, EPL, world cup, friendlies the lot. Idiot.

I agree with that, UEFA must protect the integrity of their TV rights, their lawyers will crush GMM.

This is the problem when little fish meet big fish, often they didn't know they were little fish until it was too late.....and one phone call from UEFA to FIFA will have GMM swimming with the biggest sharks in the World.

[skippie999]

i do not BELIEVE WHY NOBODY TALKS ABOUT THE REAL COMMERCIAL FACTS in this case! when uefa/grammy offers the broadcast contract it is important for the one who signs the contract and pays for it that they can offer their advertising customers during the matches this exclusivity. when a satellite company like true is going to broadcast the same matches, they can modify the life broadcast and send their own advertisements and make extra money. as well the free to air channels can not offer their advertisers this exclusivity and the bulk of customers watching their channels and advertisements. that is how this is organized in every country. the satellite and cable services ask heaps of money to their subscribers and have a budget to to pay for the broadcast. if they not pay for the broadcast that the free to air channels have this exclusivity but have to pay more because the satellites and cables do not pay! Like in other countries they offer first to the satellite companies and when they prepared to pay the contract offer UEFA do not offer to others anymore and so the satellite company has a huge chance to get many new customers for their services. However True is too greedy do not want to pay and get it for free and still charge a lot to their customers. Even the question for the free to air customers need to be if the satellite companies pay enough to the free to air companies to be allowed to broadcast the free to air at all!!!!!! Most likely they pay nothing because the Thai companies are not enough professional. Also when true sends for free grammy cannot sell their settop boxes enough to make enough money themselves to pay to uefa for the Thai rights of broadcasting. The Thai government should stay out of this otherwise worldwide Thailand gets a funny commercial bad name to deal with unprofessional marketing knowledge. To conclude:

1. GRammy buy the rights

2. grammy do research and marketing who wants to buy and pay for it

3. customer gets contract for broadcasting and exclusivity

4. grammy forecast how many set-top boxes it can sell which sets the price for the contract

grammy cannot sell one box if all thai TV service can broadcast the matches!!!!!!! So if free to air and all cable and satellite broadcasts the matches, grammy have to make a higher contract price because they miss the sales and profit of the set-top boxes!

all clear now for everybody including true and government?

[hhiser]

Smoke and mirrors -But if it gets the job done under the heading "compromise", that's good news. GMM are hemorrhaging on this deal, we can only hope that next time they want to bid for rights they do it at a value that is commercially viable; especially as True said they did not even put in a bid for the Euro 2012.

Or maybe even better, that next time True makes a bid theirselves or at least make a deal in time with the license holder so that they can provide a valuable service for the money they charge their valued customers every month.

When the new NBTC legislation comes out this fiasco will never occur again.

555+ Great Joke!

[Hellhound66]

i do not BELIEVE WHY NOBODY TALKS ABOUT THE REAL COMMERCIAL FACTS in this case! when uefa/grammy offers the broadcast contract it is important for the one who signs the contract and pays for it that they can offer their advertising customers during the matches this exclusivity. when a satellite company like true is going to broadcast the same matches, they can modify the life broadcast and send their own advertisements and make extra money. as well the free to air channels can not offer their advertisers this exclusivity and the bulk of customers watching their channels and advertisements. that is how this is organized in every country. the satellite and cable services ask heaps of money to their subscribers and have a budget to to pay for the broadcast. if they not pay for the broadcast that the free to air channels have this exclusivity but have to pay more because the satellites and cables do not pay! Like in other countries they offer first to the satellite companies and when they prepared to pay the contract offer UEFA do not offer to others anymore and so the satellite company has a huge chance to get many new customers for their services. However True is too greedy do not want to pay and get it for free and still charge a lot to their customers. Even the question for the free to air customers need to be if the satellite companies pay enough to the free to air companies to be allowed to broadcast the free to air at all!!!!!! Most likely they pay nothing because the Thai companies are not enough professional. Also when true sends for free grammy cannot sell their settop boxes enough to make enough money themselves to pay to uefa for the Thai rights of broadcasting. The Thai government should stay out of this otherwise worldwide Thailand gets a funny commercial bad name to deal with unprofessional marketing knowledge. To conclude:

1. GRammy buy the rights

2. grammy do research and marketing who wants to buy and pay for it

3. customer gets contract for broadcasting and exclusivity

4. grammy forecast how many set-top boxes it can sell which sets the price for the contract

grammy cannot sell one box if all thai TV service can broadcast the matches!!!!!!! So if free to air and all cable and satellite broadcasts the matches, grammy have to make a higher contract price because they miss the sales and profit of the set-top boxes!

all clear now for everybody including true and government?

Some of what you say is great but how about this for a business strategy:

1. GMM do the research and find out who are the best partners and at what price they would come in.

2. GMM estimate how many boxes they might sell based on the fact that this is a 3 week tournament and they don't have the content to sustain customers after the football finishes

3. GMM check the NBTC rules on "must carry" and "pass through" transmissions.

4. GMM make a bid to UEFA based on their research and income projections that makes financial sense.

If they had done this they would not paid anywhere near 400 million.

BY the way, True are not allowed to modify the broadcasts and get their own advertisers. They are a subscription based service and in Thailand that means no in-programme advertisements.

When True purchase either rights or channels their decision making process will be something like:

1. We have a million subscribers will this purchase generate more subscribers

2. If we don't have these rights/channel will we lose subscribers.

[SantiSuk]

Currently watching Euros on channel 3 through my 'coathangers and music stand' aerial.

Ukraine vs France game suspended due to weather conditions.

I am sure glad I didn't go out and buy a Grammy box though. The program, Football Mania, that they are currently broadcasting is absolute dross and not worth paying a baht for. Absolute rubbish with three stooges with no football knowledge trying to be funny.

Only a couple of hours to go now though - Engerlaand, Engerlaaand, Engerlaaand!

Ive used self-justification arguments to support my Cheap Charlie antics before but this one, scorning a programme you don't need to watch and probably can't undesrtand anyway, takes the biscuit {Sounds like you must be popping round your mates to watch the daytime repeats (only on Grammy) if you have clocked the comedy-glasses brigade}

[Hellhound66]

GMM can't defy UEFA, utter nonsense to suggest it can by their spokeswan*er. If they do not do as told by UEFA. then that is the end of all football broadcasting in this country, EPL, world cup, friendlies the lot. Idiot.

I agree with that, UEFA must protect the integrity of their TV rights, their lawyers will crush GMM.

This is the problem when little fish meet big fish, often they didn't know they were little fish until it was too late.....and one phone call from UEFA to FIFA will have GMM swimming with the biggest sharks in the World.

GMM is already swimming with the big sharks

[Hellhound66]

Presume the trip will include watching live Uefa matches and the Government and True trying to find out whats happening ,'oh dear their mobiles are switched off' .

HAHA the smartest man on the thread. If they want Wilson to back track on his letter they only need to send a mail or pick up a phone. They are off to see the matches. Post and Nation please keep an eye out of who is in that party going over to watch the matches. They might also be trying to negotiate a reduction in the rights fee.

[redsox44]

I believe replacing squat crappers has more interest in rural Thailand than any discussion on this subject. Everyone knows the elite of BKK will get their way and True will finally twist the truth enough to satisfy it's supposed millions of viewers once again getting a freebee ride. Now for NFL football and NHL hockey?

[thaihome]

True does not want to sell advertising time for the matches. The simply want to show the free over the air channels that they show every day. Grammy is one that made the mistake in thinking they could share in the revenue with the free over the air channels advertising but block True for showing those channels for just that time period. True is only trying to fulfill its obligation to its subscribers to show the free over the air channels. The content of those channels does not matter to True.

Is the next thing some producer of a Thai soap opera on channel 3 going to say True cannot air his show unless True pays a fee?

TH

Edited June 16, 2012 by thaihome

[Bagwan]

UEFA will not be impressed by this shambles. It's a complete and utter embarrassment for the Thai business community.

By the way, I'm Scottish, and I'm delighted England won 3-2. For the first time in my life I'm rooting for them as they have gone into this tournament with their backs to the wall. The pub I was in tonight in central Glasgow went ballistic when England scored the winner. Excellent stuff.

Moral of the story for England? Play with your feet and not with your mouths and you'll find far more

support across the World than you could ever imagine.

Quite unbelievable. Please make it a habit. Believe it or not I was more than happy to see you Jocks overcome Fiji. Maybe the first step back towards the top of the rugby world?

Sad to see the sorry state of Scottish football now and the Rangers crisis. Hope things improve for you soon.

[tragickingdom]

One thing is for sure; if you make the blunder to turn on your tv set longer than 5 minutes before the start of a game, you will never subscribe to any Grammy service again. Three escaped fellow from one flew over the cuckoo's nest are making fun the "Thai-boys" way.

It might be Paiboon's level of fun and level of thinking that's possible but any sane person can do only one thing: Phoning the police that three escapees from a closed psychiatric institution think that they are both funny and believe that a football has seize 9 instead of 5 and contains sand instead of air.

[animatic]

Plenty of locations in Thailand do not have all available terrestrial stations,

so it's not that much of a loss to give a revenue sharing deal to those few markets,

that are charging advertising rates, particularly for preshow air time.

The majority of homes and businesses have dishes of some flavor.

GMM has plenty deep pockets, and their obvious game plan is to get set top box numbers up asap.

They have to have a long term view of "using loss-leaders to gain customer base increases",

and then add more content with an greatly expanded base.

True has had a monopoly for 10 years or so,

and there is a lot of customer dissatisfaction with them as a company, in how they deal with their customers. Grammy is adroitly poaching customers from True with a high profile marque event, even if they lose some money short term.

And shutting down True broadcasting this for free is logical, why should Grammy pay for True to get a freebie that their customers get charged for as part of their monthly fees? Make True pay if they want it for their customers, or eat dust in public for not getting it done. Put up or shut up.

Tellingly, it is not Grammy that is getting fined 20,000 baht a day for not making a deal in time.

It's not the amount that counts, but the face lost in this case.

Edited June 16, 2012 by animatic

[TheCure]

Smoke and mirrors -But if it gets the job done under the heading "compromise", that's good news. GMM are hemorrhaging on this deal, we can only hope that next time they want to bid for rights they do it at a value that is commercially viable; especially as True said they did not even put in a bid for the Euro 2012.

Or maybe even better, that next time True makes a bid theirselves or at least make a deal in time with the license holder so that they can provide a valuable service for the money they charge their valued customers every month.

When the new NBTC legislation comes out this fiasco will never occur again.

As if a legislation has ever changed anything in this country where there has never been a rule of law. Flush out your brains Buddy

[vijer]

Currently watching Euros on channel 3 through my 'coathangers and music stand' aerial.

Ukraine vs France game suspended due to weather conditions.

I am sure glad I didn't go out and buy a Grammy box though. The program, Football Mania, that they are currently broadcasting is absolute dross and not worth paying a baht for. Absolute rubbish with three stooges with no football knowledge trying to be funny.

Only a couple of hours to go now though - Engerlaand, Engerlaaand, Engerlaaand!

Considering the majority of Thai TV encompasses shit Thai Soap Operas and Thai slapstick comedies you shouldn't be surprised that you have stooges trying to be funny doing play by play. In all likelihood Thai's watching these stooges probably think it is funny. It has been many many years since any US TV show utilized zings, zongs, boings, whistles, trills, bonks, dizzles and other such nonsense noises to emphasize the punch lines of their idiotic comedies, but every Thai TV show uses them, and Thai's laugh.

Then of course I can't figure why any idiots watch soccer and are willing to go to battle with other fans. Oh my team is loosing I better start brawling with the other teams fans! If it ain't American Football it isn't worth watching. All you girls running back and forth kicking a ball. At least Rugby has some real merit to it.

No really I'm just messing with you, I don't give a shit about any sports. If they paid ME and fed me and gave me free alcohol I would watch.

[khunken]

Plenty of locations in Thailand do not have all available terrestrial stations,

so it's not that much of a loss to give a revenue sharing deal to those few markets,

that are charging advertising rates, particularly for preshow air time.

The majority of homes and businesses have dishes of some flavor.

GMM has plenty deep pockets, and their obvious game plan is to get set top box numbers up asap.

They have to have a long term view of "using loss-leaders to gain customer base increases",

and then add more content with an greatly expanded base.

True has had a monopoly for 10 years or so,

and there is a lot of customer dissatisfaction with them as a company, in how they deal with their customers. Grammy is adroitly poaching customers from True with a high profile marque event, even if they lose some money short term.

And shutting down True broadcasting this for free is logical, why should Grammy pay for True to get a freebie that their customers get charged for as part of their monthly fees? Make True pay if they want it for their customers, or eat dust in public for not getting it done. Put up or shut up.

Tellingly, it is not Grammy that is getting fined 20,000 baht a day for not making a deal in time.

It's not the amount that counts, but the face lost in this case.

I agree with you about True being a monopoly but it is not enough a reason to blame them for this mess. True is being fined (a pittance) because the NBTC has no power to fine Grammy.

Grammy has been less than honest about what they are allowed to do by EUFA. There was no reason to block the relaying of the signals from the free-to-air channels which was done quite freely by those channels with the Champions League broadcasts - which they had obtained from EUFA. Well, the real reason was money & an attempt to hold True to ransom.

More 'negotiation' with EUFA is just smoke & mirrors. I'd love to see an alternative to True but Grammy is no better in terms of customer service - maybe worse.

[blackthorn2005]

It all boils down to money.

If TRUE wants to broadcast to their customer, TRUE will have to pay GMM (or directly to UEFA) for it.

Nothing in this world is Free.

Is TRUE naive on this case? I guess not.

GMM cronies are raiding many tourist bars in Patong and ripping the owners for to the tune of B6,000 for broadcasting rights!