CLICO give US$60,000 for TV coverage

COLONIAL Life Insurance Company (CLICO) has started a positive drive toward media coverage of the forthcoming West Indies tour of Zimbabwe and South Africa in the form of US$60,000. In an announcement yesterday at the insurance giant’s  head offices at St. Vincent Street, CEO Claudius Dacon expressed his company’s concern that the national community would not see the West Indies team in action when they take to the field on November 4. So to  this end CLICO has offered to pay 35 per cent of  the US$170,000 total package cost offered by International Media Content through Sports Max, a Jamaican cable station, which would avail any one of  the two local television  stations coverage of the six Test matches and 10 one-day games.

Outlining CLICO’s reasons for championing this cause Dacon suggested a need for Trinidad and Tobago to view two generations of greatness in Brian Lara, making a return to latter day form and 19-year-old Ravi Rampaul making his first stride onto the international stage. Rampaul, Dacon continued, embodied the nation’s aspiration for its youth  and provided a positive role model for his peers who need such examples in themselves for motivation. The move was described as a continued effort by CLICO in promoting sport in Trinidad and Tobago and is expected to draw a positive response from the media houses. Vice-president of marketing Ian Garcia was of  the view that “West Indies cricket is too much a part of our Caribbean lifestyle to be ignored,” and revealed that the offer was made after consultation following which it was decided that the fees for television  rights were reasonable. Anthony Harford in his position as liason between Sports Max and CLICO said both local television stations were previously approached but said there was not sufficient commercial interest in the venture.
 
But  the general feeling that facts pointed to the contrary, and now there are hopes that the current offer will make it more appealing. Harford further pointed out that Jamaica had already signed on for tour coverage and Trinidad and Tobago have until Monday to respond, since the signal will be carried via decoder transmission, giving more time for a decision to be made. Meanwhile, a check with CCN-TV 6 indicated  they are now favourably looking forward to televising  the cricket. According to a CCN-TV6 official in  the marketing department: “This latest move by CLICO is a tremendous boost and we are now favourably looking to bring the cricket into the living rooms of cricket fans in Trinidad and Tobago.”