Judge to rule on broadcast rights for TT-Mexico match

Telemundo has sought an injunction which seeks to restrain the TT Football Association from permitting any party other than Telemundo to provide Spanish- language television viewing rights in the US of Friday’s match as well as another CONCACAF WC qualifier in October .

Presiding over the injunction hearing is Justice Mira Dean-Armorer who heard from lawyers representing Telemundo as well as the TTFA yesterday .

According to its case, Telemundo is seeking protection from unfair competition, saying it legitimately struck a deal with two marketing firms to acquire the broadcast rights in the US of all CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers played outside of the US, Mexico and Canada .

Telemundo in 2014 acquired the broadcast rights from Traffic Sports and Media World, for US$30 million. Traffic Sports and Media World had acquired those rights from the Caribbean Football Union .

However, the TTFA is claiming that Telemundo no longer has those rights as the association as it took a decision to terminate the CFU’s contract with Traffic Sports and Media World, two organisations named in the 2015 US indictments involving FIFA executives for racketeering, conspiracy and corruption where it is alleged that bribes were offered for the television broadcast rights .

Telemundo, however, has countered that the US investigations and allegations relating to the FIFA indictments has nothing to Telemundo, and furthermore the TTFA did not object to Telemundo broadcasting previous matches under the same 2014 agreement .

“Telemundo is a stranger to those allegations,” its attorney Christopher Hamel-Smith,SC, argued yesterday .

He said it was a case where “one could not put the toothpaste back in the tube” once Telemundo’s reputation was damaged by not being able to provide the Spanish- language broadcast of the games to its US subscribers .

In his counter, the TTFA’s lawyer Reginald Armour,SC, has argued that the US FIFA indictments were relevant as the companies involved obtained these broadcast rights from the CFU by allegedly “paying bribes.”