No cable fight over Wimbledon

DirecTV general manager Bernard Pantin told Newsday yesterday that neither his company nor Columbus has exclusive rights to the broadcast of the Wimbledon matches. Pantin said DirecTV’s customers will be able to view Wimbledon.

Columbus Communications marketing and communications manager Rhea Yaw Ching agreed and said there was no conflict with DirecTV over the tennis broadcast. She said, in response to several calls from its customers expressing concerns about not being able to see Wimbledon, Columbus has put systems in place to ensure they view matches from the Grand Slam event. In a statement yesterday, Columbus said its customers would be able to view live broadcasts of the Wimbledon games from July 1 to 9 on Channel 58 (NBC).

Columbus also said while ESPN 2 has broadcast rights to Wimbledon, ESPN2 was prohibited from transmitting those games in the Caribbean.

Asked where things stood on the HBO-Cinemax broadcasting controversy between Columbus and DirecTV, Yaw Ching said Columbus, HBO and Cinemax are currently in the process of exchanging information on this issue.

Pantin said he had written to Legal Affairs Minister Christine Kangaloo and the Telecommunications Authority on this matter and felt disappointed that he has not received word from either Government or the authority to date.