HBO is Back; Reps Haggle with Local Operators on Fees for Content

But that is not the only issue that subscribers are facing. The other whammy is the copyright issues. At news time tonight, representatives of twenty-eight cable companies from across the country are concluding a late-evening meeting to forge a way forward in joint negotiations with a team of regional content providers for HBO and other premium television networks.  A little over a month ago, a cease and desist letter was forwarded by Home Box Office, HBO, to the Belize Cable Television Operators Association for the illegal broadcasting of copyrighted material locally.  That letter was followed by a meeting in Cartagena, Colombia where members of the board of directors of the Belize Cable Television Operators Association sat with HBO representatives. Earlier today, three representatives of the company met at length with local stakeholders in an attempt to hammer out an agreement which will force Belize to become copyright compliant.  That meeting was spirited as there was disquiet on the proposed fees being sought by the regional content providers. The meeting concludes on Wednesday; if there is no decision, then the regional content providers pull the plug as early as Thursday.