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Kent
Posts: 2389 |
Paying for the Basic + Sports group but still have to fork out another $10.50 to watch world cup? World cup has become pay per view! First they cancelled Italian Football without any deduction in fees. Now they charge for the world cup even if you have a existing subscription for Sports Group! Citing rising costs! (yeah right)Thank you Starhub for your great service!
http://www.starhub.com.sg/newsroom/...=Starhub%20News
Special early bird discounted price for StarHub Digital Cable’s Sports Group customers
The 2006 FIFA World Cup™ will be offered on StarHub Digital Cable as a Pay-Per-View package (“2006 FIFA World Cup™ Pay-Per-View”) via four dedicated channels. Existing customers of StarHub Digital Cable’s Sports Group[1] who wish to subscribe to 2006 FIFA World Cup™ Pay-Per-View only need to pay a one-time flat fee to receive the full coverage of all 64 World Cup matches ‘live’. Those who sign up by 30 April 2006 will enjoy a special early bird discounted price of $10.50 (with GST). The package will be priced at $15.75 (with GST) from 1 May 2006 onwards.
On StarHub’s decision to launch the World Cup on a Pay-Per-View platform, Ms Tham explained, “The costs of acquiring the telecast rights for virtually all sports programming have escalated over the years. StarHub’s Pay-Per-View platform gives us the flexibility to offer soccer fans additional sports content like the World Cup as and when the event takes place, without increasing the costs to all our Sports Group subscribers in general.”
“All 64 matches will be made available ‘live’ to our Sports Group customers for only $10.50[2], which works out to less than 20 cents a match. For a little more than the cost of watching just one movie in the cinemas, our customers can now enjoy the passion and vibrancy of the games, as told by six of the world’s best football directors, in a World Cup story spanning an entire month,” Ms Tham added.
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Kent
Posts: 2389 |
Business Times - 28 Mar 2006
StarHub's World Cup fees upset football fans
But company points to escalating sports programming costs
By SIOW LI SEN
(SINGAPORE) Football fans are crying foul after StarHub went back on a promise not to charge extra for its World Cup broadcasts. The cable-TV operator unveiled its Germany 2006 packages yesterday, which observers expect could earn it several million dollars.
To see all 64 World Cup matches live, subscribers to StarHub's $15-a-month sports group - which comprises Super Sports, ESPN and StarSports - will pay $10.50 if they sign up before May 1 or $15.75 if they sign up after that date. At $10.50, the cost works out to less than 20 cents a match, StarHub said.
StarHub viewers who do not subscribe to the sports group can still watch the World Cup but the price will be higher - $26.25 for 56 'live' and eight delayed matches.
StarHub senior vice-president for marketing Tham Loke Kheng said: 'The costs of acquiring the telecast rights for virtually all sports programming have escalated over the years. StarHub's Pay-Per-View platform gives us the flexibility to offer soccer fans additional sports content like the World Cup as and when the event takes place, without increasing the costs to all our Sports Group subscribers in general.'
In July last year, StarHub said that its sports group subscribers would not have to pay extra to watch all 64 World Cup matches. It said then: 'Those who subscribe to our sports group will be able to watch all these matches at no additional charge.'
But Ms Tham said yesterday: 'Our challenge is to balance the desires of various sports audience segments against the rising costs by operating within a reasonable cost structure that keeps prices as low as possible.'
Germany 2006 kicks off in Munich on June 10, with the final in Berlin on July 10.
The last 2002 World Cup attracted an estimated total of 2.68 million viewers here.
In a BT straw poll yesterday, some sports fans expressed outrage yesterday at StarHub's soccer tactic, though one said that the extra cost is 'fair' because the World Cup only comes around once in four years.
Editorial consultant Irene Hoe said: 'They're already gouging me. After raising the fees, they took away Italian football and replaced it with Spanish football which I don't watch.'
Property agent Erwin Tio said that StarHub sports group subscribers like himself should not have to pay more. 'Whatever programme is on, whether it's the World Cup or not, we are already paying as monthly subscribers,' he said.
Another fan said that if Malaysia's free-to-air RTM and Indonesia's SCTV can show the World Cup matches free by attracting extra advertising revenue, StarHub can do the same and need not impose the extra charges.
StarHub's Ms Tham said: 'We do have the support of many local advertisers, including Tiger Beer, LG, McDonald's and Gillette. But the market in Singapore is relatively small, and it is difficult to secure enough advertisements to fully subsidise the rising costs of additional sports programming.'
It is not appropriate to compare the local market with neighbouring countries, she said. Malaysia and Singapore have much bigger TV audiences than Singapore, which gives them economies of scale and the ability to attract more advertising.
StarHub said that it is negotiating with Singapore's free-to-air MediaCorp for some matches to be televised.
But not everyone reckons that StarHub is off-side. Spinelli store manager Go Chee Wee said that it is 'fair' to charge extra to watch the World Cup. 'It's once in four years. If I'm sick, I can watch at home,' said Mr Go, who usually catches the matches at coffee shops.
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Charlton
Posts: 131 |
U mean we have to re-apply for the World Cup package???
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Kent
Posts: 2389 |
Yub. Even if you have sports channel.
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Kheng Fatt
Posts: 191 |
KNN !!
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Herman
Posts: 36 |
WTF !!! Bloodsuckers!!
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Kheng Fatt
Posts: 191 |
need to pay $10.50, guess you all must have receive the letter from SH by now. Damn.
but i know you will still pay. Time to buy SH shares.. making big bucks.
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orangeboy
Posts: 284 |
quote:
Originally posted by Kheng Fatt:
KNN !!
yeah... KNN...
with love from Taiwan =P
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Charlton
Posts: 131 |
Huh? wat letter???
I never receive any letter lei....
So how do i apply???
quote:
Originally posted by Kheng Fatt:
need to pay $10.50, guess you all must have receive the letter from SH by now. Damn.
but i know you will still pay. Time to buy SH shares.. making big bucks.
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Kent
Posts: 2389 |
quote:
Originally posted by orangeboy:
yeah... KNN...
with love from Taiwan =P
so wat presents are u going to bring back from taiwan?
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Kent
Posts: 2389 |
quote:
Originally posted by Charlton:
Huh? wat letter???
I never receive any letter lei....
So how do i apply???
have u tried calling their hotline?
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Herman
Posts: 36 |
quote:
Originally posted by Charlton:
Huh? wat letter???
I never receive any letter lei....
So how do i apply???
quote:
Originally posted by Kheng Fatt:
need to pay $10.50, guess you all must have receive the letter from SH by now. Damn.
but i know you will still pay. Time to buy SH shares.. making big bucks.
can register online here.. http://www.starhub.com/general/worldcup/promotions/promo_ppv/index.jsp
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