2.7 Obligation to Cross-Carry Qualified Content |
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Every Supplying Qualified Licensee and every Receiving Qualified Licensee must comply with MDA’s requirement to cross-carry Qualified Content. |
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2.7.1 Duties of Supplying Qualified Licensee |
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(a) A Supplying Qualified Licensee must, from and including 1st August 2011, make available all its Qualified Content for transmission and reception on all Relevant Platforms of the nationwide Subscription Television Service of every Receiving Qualified Licensee. |
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(b) A Supplying Qualified Licensee must ensure: |
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(i) that it has the right to broadcast all its Qualified Content on every Relevant Platform of every Receiving Qualified Licensee for the purpose of enabling the cross-carriage of the Qualified Content on such Relevant Platforms; and |
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(ii) that it can so broadcast all its Qualified Content without violating or infringing any intellectual property rights owned by any of the persons from whom it acquired or otherwise obtained the Qualified Content. |
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(c) The Supplying Qualified Licensee: |
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(i) must make its Qualified Content available to Receiving Qualified Licensees: |
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(A) in its entirety and in an unmodified and unedited form; |
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(B) at the same time as the Supplying Qualified Licensee makes the Qualified Content available to its Subscribers; and |
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(C) at a level of quality that is not inferior to the level of quality at which the Qualified Content is made available by the Supplying Qualified Licensee to its Subscribers; and |
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(ii) at all times, must not perform any act, or omit to perform any act, where the performance of or omission to perform the act may diminish, impair or otherwise degrade the viewing or customer service experience of any Subscriber accessing the Supplying Qualified Licensee’s Qualified Content through any of the Receiving Qualified Licensee’s Relevant Platforms. |
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(d) A Supplying Qualified Licensee must not bundle any channel or programming content together with any channel or programming content referred to in sub-paragraph (i) of the definition of “Qualified Content” without first having acquired all relevant rights from the channel or content provider of the firstmentioned channel or programming content for the cross-carriage of the same. |
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(e) A Supplying Qualified Licensee must: |
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(i) notify MDA of its Qualified Content in such form and manner as specified by MDA within 5 working days after a channel or programming content, or bundled channel or bundled programming content, becomes Qualified Content (whether in linear or non-linear format); |
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(ii) notify every Receiving Qualified Licensee of its Qualified Content that is in linear format within the following periods (except that the Supplying Qualified Licensee may, in any particular case, agree with a Receiving Qualified Licensee to a shorter period): |
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(A) where the Receiving Qualified Licensee has yet to receive any Qualified Content from the Supplying Qualified Licensee, no later than 80 working days, or, where the Receiving Qualified Licensee needs to acquire equipment to effect the crosscarriage, 120 working days, prior to the date that the Qualified Content will be first transmitted by the Supplying Qualified Licensee to Subscribers on its own platform; and |
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(B) where the Receiving Qualified Licensee has previously received Qualified Content from the Supplying Qualified Licensee, no later than 30 working days, or, where the Receiving Qualified Licensee needs to acquire equipment to effect the crosscarriage, 60 working days, prior to the date that the Qualified Content will be first transmitted by the Supplying Qualified Licensee to Subscribers on its own platform; and |
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(iii) notify every Receiving Qualified Licensee of its Qualified Content that is in non-linear format within the following periods (except that the Supplying Qualified Licensee may, in any particular case, agree with a Receiving Qualified Licensee to a shorter period): |
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(A) where the Receiving Qualified Licensee has yet to receive any Qualified Content from the Supplying Qualified Licensee, no later than 120 working days prior to the date that the Qualified Content will be first transmitted by the Supplying Qualified Licensee to Subscribers on its own platform; and |
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(B) where the Receiving Qualified Licensee has previously received Qualified Content from the Supplying Qualified Licensee, no later than 30 working days, or, where the Receiving Qualified Licensee needs to acquire equipment to effect the crosscarriage, 60 working days, prior to the date that the Qualified Content will be first transmitted by the Supplying Qualified Licensee to Subscribers on its own platform. |
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(f) A Supplying Qualified Licensee must publish and maintain a list of its Qualified Content on its website, and on its viewing guide. |
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(g) A Supplying Qualified Licensee must: |
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(i) to the extent the Qualified Content comprises any channel or programming content that is produced or commissioned by the Supplying Qualified Licensee, allow every Receiving Qualified Licensee to publish, on the Receiving Qualified Licensee’s website and viewing guide, a list of such Qualified Content of the Supplying Qualified Licensee carried on the Receiving Qualified Licensee’s Relevant Platforms; and |
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(ii) to the extent the Qualified Content comprises any channel or programming content that is acquired or otherwise obtained by the Supplying Qualified Licensee, negotiate with the person from whom the Qualified Content was acquired or otherwise obtained to allow every Receiving Qualified Licensee to publish, on the Receiving Qualified Licensee’s website and viewing guide, a list of such Qualified Content of the Supplying Qualified Licensee carried on the Receiving Qualified Licensee’s Relevant Platforms, |
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for the limited purpose of informing consumers of the Qualified Content available on the Receiving Qualified Licensees’ platforms. |
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(h) A Supplying Qualified Licensee must: |
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(i) enter into a customer service arrangement with and provide Qualified Content to Subscribers accessing such content through any Relevant Platform of a Receiving Qualified Licensee, at prices (including all applicable discounts and promotions), terms and conditions that are the same as the prices, terms and conditions at which the Supplying Qualified Licensee provides such content to Subscribers on its own platform, and not discriminate in any manner in favour of Subscribers viewing Qualified Content on its own platform; |
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(ii) ensure that a Subscriber is able to access the Qualified Content through a Receiving Qualified Licensee’s Relevant Platform within 5 working days of receipt of such Subscriber’s request; and |
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(iii) in respect of any feedback or complaint received from a Subscriber in respect of any Qualified Content of the Supplying Qualified Licensee, deal with the feedback or complaint on a non-discriminatory basis and as if it were feedback or complaint received by the Supplying Qualified Licensee in respect of any channel or programming content transmitted directly by it to the Subscriber. |
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(i) Unless it is able to agree with any Receiving Qualified Licensee otherwise, a Supplying Qualified Licensee shall bear: |
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(i) its own cost in complying with its obligation to make its Qualified Content available to the Receiving Qualified Licensee; and |
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(ii) all incremental costs directly incurred by the Receiving Qualified Licensee in providing its Subscribers with access to the Supplying Qualified Licensee’s Qualified Content. |
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(j) Where any Qualified Content, being crosscarried in accordance with the obligations of this Code, ceases to be Qualified Content, the Supplying Qualified Licensee must provide MDA, every Receiving Qualified Licensee and every affected Subscriber, with notice that the channel or programming content will no longer be Qualified Content no later than 21 working days prior to it ceasing to be Qualified Content. |
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2.7.2 Designation of Receiving Qualified Licensee |
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(a) MDA may designate any Regulated Person to be a Receiving Qualified Licensee if the Regulated Person: |
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(i) is licensed to provide a nationwide Subscription Television Service on any Relevant Platform; and |
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(ii) has or had, at any point in time, 10,000 or more Subscribers on any of its Relevant Platforms. |
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(b) MDA will publish a list of Receiving Qualified Licensees on its website. |
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2.7.2A Duties of Receiving Qualified Licensee |
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(a) A Receiving Qualified Licensee must, from and including 1st August 2011, carry all Qualified Content made available by Supplying Qualified Licensees on all Relevant Platforms of its nationwide Subscription Television Service. |
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(b) A Receiving Qualified Licensee must ensure that it does not, in receiving and transmitting Qualified Content of a Supplying Qualified Licensee, violate or infringe any intellectual property rights that are owned: |
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(i) to the extent the Qualified Content comprises any channel or programming content produced or commissioned by the Supplying Qualified Licensee, by the Supplying Qualified Licensee; and |
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(ii) to the extent the Qualified Content comprises any channel or programming content acquired or otherwise obtained by the Supplying Qualified Licensee, by the person from whom the Supplying Qualified Licensee acquired or otherwise obtained the Qualified Content. |
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(c) A Receiving Qualified Licensee: |
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(i) must carry Qualified Content on all its Relevant Platforms: |
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(A) in its entirety and in an unmodified and unedited form; |
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(B) at the same time as the Supplying Qualified Licensee makes the Qualified Content available to its Subscribers, to the extent technically feasible for the Receiving Qualified Licensee; and |
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(C) at a level of quality that is not inferior to the level of quality at which the Qualified Content is made available to it by the Supplying Qualified Licensee, to the extent technically feasible for the Receiving Qualified Licensee; and |
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(ii) at all times, must not perform any act, or omit to perform any act, where the performance of or omission to perform the act may diminish, impair or otherwise degrade the viewing experience of any Subscriber accessing the Supplying Qualified Licensee’s Qualified Content through any of the Receiving Qualified Licensee’s Relevant Platforms. |
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(d) A Receiving Qualified Licensee must ensure that it has a content protection system for each of its Relevant Platforms that covers the matters specified in Part III of Appendix 1 which will reasonably prevent the security of all Qualified Content made available to it by any Supplying Qualified Licensee from being compromised. |
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(e) A Receiving Qualified Licensee must: |
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(i) in the case of Qualified Content referred to in paragraph 2.7.1(g)(i) of this Code, publish on its website and viewing guide, a list of all such Qualified Content that is carried on all the Receiving Qualified Licensee’s Relevant Platforms; and |
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(ii) in the case of Qualified Content referred to in paragraph 2.7.1(g)(ii) of this Code, where the consent of the person from whom the Supplying Qualified Licensee acquired or otherwise obtained the Qualified Content has been obtained pursuant to that paragraph, publish on its website and viewing guide, a list of such Qualified Content carried on each of the Receiving Qualified Licensee’s Relevant Platforms, |
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for the limited purpose of informing consumers of the Qualified Content available on the Receiving Qualified Licensee’s Relevant Platforms. |
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(f) A Receiving Qualified Licensee must: |
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(g) A Receiving Qualified Licensee must, upon being notified by a Supplying Qualified Licensee of any feedback or complaint received from a Subscriber in respect of any Qualified Content that the Supplying Qualified Licensee has made available to the Receiving Qualified Licensee, deal with the feedback or complaint on a non-discriminatory basis and as if it were feedback or complaint received by the Receiving Qualified Licensee in respect of any of its own channels or programming content transmitted by it to its Subscriber. |
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(h) A Receiving Qualified Licensee must not impose any form of charge on any Subscriber who subscribes to any Qualified Content made available to the Receiving Qualified Licensee by a Supplying Qualified Licensee. |
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(i) Where a Subscriber who subscribes to any Qualified Content made available to the Receiving Qualified Licensee by a Supplying Qualified Licensee informs the Receiving Qualified Licensee that it wishes to terminate its subscription to the Qualified Content, the Receiving Qualified Licensee must inform the Subscriber that the Subscriber is to terminate such subscription directly with the Supplying Qualified Licensee. |
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2.7.3 Agreements for Cross-Carriage of Content and Conciliation/Dispute Resolution |
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(a) Nothing in paragraph 2.7.1 or paragraph 2.7.2A of this Code prevents a Supplying Qualified Licensee and a Receiving Qualified Licensee from entering into a mutually acceptable cross-carriage agreement in connection with their respective obligations under those paragraphs, provided that the terms of the agreement are not inconsistent with any such obligation. For this purpose, the terms of the agreement and any such obligation are inconsistent if: |
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(i) it is not possible to comply with both the terms and the obligation; or |
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(ii) the terms and the obligation require the same, or substantially the same, action to be taken at different times or in a different way. |
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(b) Where a Supplying Qualified Licensee and a Receiving Qualified Licensee are unable to reach a mutually acceptable cross-carriage agreement referred to in paragraph 2.7.3(a) of this Code, both parties may jointly request MDA to provide conciliation services pursuant to paragraph 10.4 of this Code. The Supplying Qualified Licensee or the Receiving Qualified Licensee may also request MDA to initiate a Dispute Resolution pursuant to paragraph 10.5 of this Code. |
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(c) In any Dispute Resolution involving the computation of all incremental costs to be borne by the Supplying Qualified Licensee under paragraph 2.7.1 (i)(ii) of this Code, MDA may adopt the pricing principles specified in Appendix 4 of this Code for the purpose of resolving the dispute. |
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(d) Notwithstanding the Supplying Qualified Licensee and the Receiving Qualified Licensee are unable to reach a mutually acceptable cross-carriage agreement, and whether or not conciliation services are being provided or a Dispute Resolution has been initiated, the Supplying Qualified Licensee and the Receiving Qualified Licensee must continue to comply with their respective obligations under paragraphs 2.7.1 and 2.7.2A of this Code. |
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2.7.4 Applications for Exemption from Obligation under Paragraph 2.7 |
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(a) A Regulated Person may apply to MDA to seek exemption from its obligation to make available all its Qualified Content for transmission and reception on every Receiving Qualified Licensee’s Relevant Platform, or to carry on its Relevant Platform all Qualified Content made available by Supplying Qualified Licensees, as the case may be. In seeking any such exemption, the Regulated Person must clearly establish to MDA’s satisfaction one or more of the following circumstances: |
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(i) an exemption from the obligations under paragraph 2.7 of the Code will benefit the public and the media industry (for example, how the exemption will enhance consumer welfare or promote innovation); |
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(ii) technical constraint prevents or restricts a party from fulfilling its obligations under paragraph 2.7 of this Code and it is not possible to remove such constraint without it incurring serious and irreparable harm; |
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(iii) in relation to any request for exemption from paragraph 2.7.1(a) of this Code by a Supplying Qualified Licensee, demonstrate that the channel or content provider does not have the relevant broadcast rights for Singapore and other neighbouring countries; and |
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(iv) in relation to any request for exemption from paragraph 2.7.2A(a) of this Code by a Receiving Qualified Licensee, demonstrate that the Supplying Qualified Licensee has failed to comply with paragraph 2.7.1(b). |
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(b) After receiving a request for exemption, MDA will notify the Regulated Person making the request for exemption whether it must provide additional information before the request can be accepted. MDA reserves the right to provide an opportunity for public comment before issuing its decision to grant or deny the request. MDA may grant the request in full or in part, and subject to any appropriate condition that MDA may impose. |
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(c) Where a Regulated Person provides proprietary or commercially sensitive information in the context of a request for exemption under paragraph 2.7.4(a), the Regulated Person making the request for exemption should put such information in a separate appendix and request for confidential treatment in respect of the information, pursuant to paragraph 10.8 of this Code. |
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(d) MDA reserves the right to publish any decision made in respect of an exemption request. |
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(e) This paragraph is without prejudice to the generality of paragraph 1.8.1 of this Code with regard to the granting of any exemption by MDA from any particular obligation imposed on a Regulated Person under paragraph 2.7 of this Code, including the granting of an exemption for a period of time from the obligation to make available Qualified Content for transmission and reception, or to carry Qualified Content made available, as the case may be. |
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