From The Jakarta Post: "EPL: Right or privilege?"

Opinion News - Friday, September 14, 2007

The controversy over pay-TV operator PT Astro Direct Vision's exclusive right to broadcast the English Premier League in Indonesia boils down to this question: Is watching English soccer a right or a privilege?

Soccer fans have experienced a range of emotions since learning last month they would have to pay to watch matches from the EPL, the acronym used here (though not in England) to refer to the most-watched soccer league in Indonesia.

If watching the EPL is considered an inalienable right of every citizen, as some people would have it, then Astro does not have the power to prevent those who do not subscribe to its service from watching matches.

Astro would have to share the broadcasting rights for the EPL with free-to-air stations, which reach a much larger audience.

Surprisingly, no one has invoked Article 33 (2) of the 1945 Constitution, which states: "Branches of (economic) production which are important for the state and which affect the lives of most people shall be controlled by the state."

The EPL could be considered a branch of production that affects the lives of most people, very much like education, healthcare, housing and the supply of clean water.

Going by this claim, then the EPL should be broadcast by TVRI, the public broadcasting company, because it has the widest reach of any station in the country.

If, on the other hand, watching the EPL is a privilege, then Astro has every right to deny those who do not subscribe to its services access to the matches. This has been the case since the Malaysia-based pay-TV company acquired the broadcasting rights for the EPL beginning in August, when the 2007/8 league kicked off.

The EPL is the most popular of all the European domestic soccer leagues. None of its nearest rivals, the Italian Serie A, Spanish La Liga or the German Bundesliga, command as many viewers in here.

The most popular is also the most lucrative. Not surprisingly, since the advent of commercial TV in Indonesia in the 1990s, the English soccer league has changed stations almost every year, but always among the 10 or so free-to-air stations.

Virtually all the EPL matches are broadcast live, not just on the weekend, but also during the week. The six or seven-hour time difference between Indonesia and England suits the schedules of Indonesian TV stations, though not necessary those of fans who have to stay up late (or get up in the morning, as the case may be) to watch their favorite teams play.

With most matches broadcast well into the night, after restrictions on cigarette ads are lifted, the EPL is a hugely successful commercial venture for whichever station holds the right to broadcast it in Indonesia.

Enter the pay-television era, particularly Astro this year.

When the license to broadcast the EPL fell into the hands of this new but aggressive pay-TV operator, it made sure it had the exclusive rights in Indonesia.

Even subscribers of other cable TV services, who had watched the EPL through ESPN and Star Sports, now get baseball or rugby in place of the usual English soccer games.

As popular as the EPL is, it is hard to make a case that it should be made available to more people for free. Precisely, its popularity makes it a very lucrative business proposition for whoever holds the license. There are people who are willing to pay for the privilege.

We all lived for years without watching English soccer. Then in the 1990s the matches began to be broadcast regularly into our living rooms and now many of us are hooked, glued to the box every Saturday and Sunday night during the season.

Now some of us believe it is our inalienable right to watch the EPL as soon as we learned we would have to start paying for the privilege.

Those who refuse to pay can always turn to other European soccer leagues broadcast by free-to-air stations. The Dutch league does not sound all that bad, considering our historical connection with the Netherlands.

Besides, many of the talents who play for English clubs started their career in the Netherlands. But we should be careful not to overdo it; pretty soon, we might have to start paying to watch the Dutch league as well.

From The Jakarta Post: "The right to watch EPL"

Opinion News - Friday, September 14, 2007

Sirikit Syah, Surabaya

Indonesian football fanatics have expressed their anger and frustration at being denied the opportunity to watch the live matches on TV they would die for -- the English Premier League.

To watch the games, football fans have to subscribe to Astro Cable TV, which has won the license to air the league matches here.

There are two issues involved here. First, this is about broadcasting licenses and competition among broadcasters. Second, this is about the public's right to access information, including football matches.

Astro Cable TV has operated in Indonesia for quite some time, but allegations that it violated the 2002 broadcasting law have meant the company has not escaped controversy. Astro was previously a foreign-controlled company until it cut foreign ownership to 20 percent in accordance with the law.

Astro's presence is a challenge to broadcasting and telecommunications regulations, creating tighter competition and paving the way for foreign influence over our mass media.

Astro's sole right to broadcast Premier League matches has put the government in a quandary. After allowing Astro to operate, the government is now trying to interfere with the cable company's content programming. The communications minister and the KPI have mounted pressure on Astro to open up Premier League broadcasts to the public.

In the eyes of broadcasting players, this is a case of deja vu of Soeharto's New Order regime. It seems that you are let loose, but the rope is eventually tightened one way or another. You are given permission to buy and to air the game, but you cannot sell it.

To make matter worse, rumor has it that both the government and the KPI were influenced by lobbying by some of Astro's competitors. The English Premier League was brought here by TV7/Trans 7 for Rp 45 billion in 2003. But for the 2007/2008 season, the price skyrocketed to Rp 500 billion, forcing Trans 7 to give up.

Indonesian audiences are crying for "justice", which they call "the right of the people to watch the game". These people demand free access to Premier League matches, saying they cannot afford to subscribe to Astro.

But, on the other hand, Astro has to make a profit out of its Rp 500 billion investment.

What are people's "rights" then? Is there any danger if they miss out on watching the game? Will the country be in chaos if the public is denied free access to Premier League matches? The majority of Indonesians may not understand the meaning of "rights" here.

It is the task of intellectuals, observers and media practitioners themselves to straighten this out. Instead of inflaming the debate (by banning Astro for instance), knowledgeable people should accept the consequences of free competition (including in media). In this context, watching football should not be classified as "a right of the people".

The Premier League issue is strictly a question of content programming. In 2002, national television stations, in their resistance to the Broadcasting Law, argued that: "The spirit of decentralization of broadcasting operation brought by the law will eliminate the opportunities for people -- local people in particular -- to enjoy world-class programming."

I challenged this argument at the time. I argued that any foreign program popular with local people would still be aired on local TV stations in cooperation with national stations, which need the audience numbers to draw advertising. The difference is that national TV would have to share the advertising revenue with local TV.

The fact that people now remain unable to watch world-class programming, as I assumed when defending the Broadcasting Law, is a loss for both the people and the TV stations, both national and local. But is this the victory of Cable TV? Not yet. The debate is ongoing and results may be unexpected.

The problem is that national TV stations that have promised to bring world-class programs to their audiences are reluctant to spend big. They follow the simplest possible programming strategy: buy and air cheap programs only. They let popular world programs go to cable operators, and play it safe with domestic programs dominated by soap operas and comedies.

This complex problem of broadcasting -- terrestrial or cable -- as well as licensing, competition, and programming, are more than enough to give the communications minister a headache. But there is one thing that should be remembered -- leave the content to the audience, guarded by the broadcasting commission. The minister needs only to focus on whether the operation of TV stations of all kinds complies with the existing laws and regulations.

The writer is a journalist. She is formerly a broadcasting commissioner and can be reached at sirikitsyah@yahoo.com.

Sepak Bola, Demo, DPR...Capek Deh

Coba baca berita di bawah ini yang saya kutip dari Harian Sindo (13/09/07) milik MNC:

“Sementara itu, sebanyak 20 orang perwakilan Komunitas Pencinta Bola mengadu ke Fraksi PKB DPR kemarin. Mereka memprotes monopoli hak siar Liga Inggris oleh Astro. Ketua Komunitas Pencinta Bola M Iqbal mengatakan, tindakan Astro tersebut telah membatasi kesempatan masyarakat untuk memperoleh akses informasi, khususnya sepakbola. Menurut dia,kebijakan berlangganan tersebut sangat memberatkan bagi mereka. ”Bagi kami yang kebanyakan dari masyarakat miskin, uang sebesar Rp200.000 sangat memberatkan. Jangankan segitu, untuk makan saja kami susah,”kata Iqbal.

Menanggapi hal itu, Ketua FKB DPR RI Effendy Choirie mengatakan,monopoli hak siar Liga Inggris oleh Astro telah mengecewakan masyarakat pencinta sepak bola di Indonesia. Selain itu, Astro melakukan pelanggaran karena masuk ke Indonesia tanpa izin. ”Astro itu ibaratnya orang asing yang masuk ke Indonesia tanpa paspor,” jelas Effendy Choirie.”

Ada banyak nalar yang keblinger di sini. Pertama, Si Iqbal itu menyebut Astro membatasi akses informasi khususnya sepakbola. Hah? Apakah sepakbola itu begitu pentingnya sehingga perlu dianggap informasi. Kalau hanya sekedar informasi toh bisa melihat hasilnya melalui siaran berita TV atau koran. Dimana dibatasinya? Ini bener-bener gebleg, asal mangap.

Kedua, kalau memang mereka benar-benar tak punya uang, bukannya sebaiknya berfikir bagaimana caranya mencari uang bukan membuang waktu nonton bola? Apakah dengan nonton bola perut jadi kenyang?. Bukannya juga lebih baik bekerja cari duit daripada unjukrasa ke DPR? Atau mereka dapat duit dari unjuk rasa? Lantas siapa yang membayari mereka? Jika melihat hubungan antara unjukrasa, koran yang memuat dan juga anggota DPR yang menerimanya tak sulit untuk menemukan jawabannya.

Jika membaca komentar Anggota Dewan yang Terhormat Effendy Choirie, saya lantas bertanya-tanya apakah sebutan “yang terhormat” masih pantas disandangnya? Kalau komentar yang keluar dari Senayan kualitasnya seperti itu, ya pantas saja kalau banyak kalangan masyarakat tak menaruh hormat terhadap lembaga negara yang seharusnya terhormat itu.

Kalau ada orang asing masuk tanpa paspor ke negeri kita ya gampang saja, tinggal deportasi saja. Tapi secara nalar ya apa ada perusahaan yang sudah menanamkan uang lebih dari seratus juta dollar dan akan terus bertambah mau kehilangan investasinya hanya karena keteledoran “kecil” masuk ke Indonesia tanpa izin? Hanya pengusaha gebleg dan keblinger yang akan melakukan hal itu dan Astro tidak tergolong perusahaan macam itu.

Saya cuma mengurut dada saja lha kok masih ada saja kalangan elit kita kalau memberi komentar itu asal bunyi. Atau memang taraf kita masih segitu kali ya. Capek deh.

Weruh Sadurunge Winarah

Seorang teman rupanya membaca kemarahan saya dan mengemail seperti ini, “Boss Riza, jangan marah soal Liga Inggris. hadapi dengan tenang dan cari cara yang elegan agar Liga Inggris tetap tayang. Kita juga nonton Astro kok.” Saya menjawab sambil tersenyum, “Hehehe, marah cuma katarsis aja kok biar nggak darah tinggi. Thank you untuk dukungannya.”

Saya senang ada yang mengungkapkan kepeduliannya kepada saya. Sejujurnya saya yakin kok banyak yang peduli dan simpati dengan “kemarahan” saya. Apakah kejengkelan dan rasa murka itu justifiable tentu bukan saya yang harus menilai, anda semua lah yang lebih berhak.

Respon istri saya ketika saya beri tahu lewat sms bahwa saya bikin blog gara-gara kemarahan dan kejengkelan saya simpel saja “Aaah, jangan kambuh suka damprat pemerintah dong!....” Saya cuma senyum kecut ketika membaca sms itu. Saya tak mendamprat pemerintah, hanya jengkel, kesel, marah dan murka saja melihat logika yang dipakai.

Mereka-mereka itu punya hak untuk bersematkan Burung Garuda lho. Lambang negara itu bukan untuk main-main. Ada banyak harapan digantungkan kepada mereka yang memakai lambang negara kita ini di baju yang mereka kenakan.

Saya jengkel, kesel, marah dan murka ketika dalam sebuah jumpa pers sang pejabat ditanya mengapa program eksklusif di TV berbayar lain tak dipersoalkan dan jawabannya adalah ”Karena tak ada orang protes”. Luar biasa. Artinya kalau mau pemerintah “peduli” kita harus protes, tak peduli apakah protes itu ada dasarnya atau sekedar protes yang ngawur. Kasihan sekali tugas Bapak Polisi, semakin banyak orang protes dan demo agar diperhatikan pemerintah.

Ini benar-benar cara pandang ngawur yang luar biasa. Saya benar-benar ndak mudheng dengan logika seperti itu. Bukankah seharusnya pemerintah itu weruh sadurunge winarah. Jadi tanpa harus minta, apalagi protes, sudah memberi, sudah mengayomi, sudah melindungi karena sudah tahu sebelumnya apa yang diperlukan dan dibutuhkan rakyatnya?

TKI adalah Tenaga Kerja Intelektual

Awani KL berlokasi di annex gedung Bursa Malaysia. Annex tersebut tadinya hanya berisi perpustakaan bursa dan sangat sepi. Sekarang jadi lumayan ramailah karena keberadaan para jurnalis dan staf Awani.

Seperti laiknya sebuah kantor, Awani KL juga mempekerjakan cleaning service (out source). Semuanya adalah perempuan setengah baya.

Sehari-harinya para perempuan ini bercakap bahasa Melayu yg sangat fasih. Saya, Delvi Sinambela dan Irawan Ariestanto alias Aries awalnya mengira mereka orang Malaysia.

Suatu hari salah seorang dari mereka menyapa Aries menanyakan apakah sang video editor kita ini orang Indonesia. "Iya, selain saya ada dua lagi," jawab Aries

"Pekerjaannya apa?"

" Ya bantu-bantu teman-teman Malaysia lah menyiapkan channel Awani" kali ini Delvi yg menjawab

"Itu yg di dalam ruangan juga orang Indonesia?" Tanya si cleaning lady lagi sambil menunjuk ruangan dimana saya berkantor. Ruangan itu besar ada dua LCD 30 inch satu di meja tulis satu lagi di meja TV menempel didinding. Jauh lebih luas daripada ruangan saya di Jakarta.

"Iya itu boss saya" ujar Aries.

Si cleaning lady yang ternyata berasal dari Bawean setengah tak percaya, "Kok ada orang Indonesia yang jadi boss". Rupaya dia sempat melihat saya berbicara dihadapan rekan-rekan Awani KL

"Di sini tak ada TKI yang jadi tenaga ahli" tambahnya.

"Kami TKI juga lho" kata Delvi.

Tampak segurat senyum bangga dari TKI asal Bawean ini.

Minyak Goreng dan Liga Inggris

"Jangankan macam-macam urusan lain, ngurus minyak goreng saja enggak beres. Sudah ada subsidi Rp 325 miliar. Untuk mengantarkan uang itu kepada rakyat yang berhak saja, pemerintah ini belum menemukan bagaimana caranya," ujar Anggota Komisi VI DPR, Zulkifli Halim (Kompas 10/9/07 hal. 1).

Seruan di atas sepertinya memang tak masuk ke telinga pemerintah. Masalah minyak goreng plus naiknya sembako belum tertangani pemerintah malah menambah urusan. Dengan gagah demi membela “kepentingan rakyat” pemerintah mengadukan Astro ke KPPU. Urusannya? Sepakbola, Liga Inggris.

Pemerintah sekarang rupanya cukup “cerdas” dengan menyamakan Liga Inggris dengan Sembako, karena itu sepakbola sudah menjadi “hak publik” . Kalau logika pemerintah itu diikuti maka semua pertandingan bola di tanah air kita harusnya gratis karena publik punya hak untuk menonton bola. Nyatanya kan tidak begitu. Malah ketika pertandingan Piala Asia yang notabene menyangkut timnas Indonesia, harga tiketnya sangat mahal. Logika keblinger semacam ini sayangnya juga diamini oleh anggota Komisi Penyiaran Indonesia dan juga mantan anggota KPI.

Saya juga geram membaca pernyataan Freddy Tulung soal "commercial term dan non commercial term" (Baca Detik Sport-EPL segera kembali ke TV lokal). Si Freddy ini(pejabat DepKominfo dengan jabatan Sekretaris Ditjen SKDI) dengan seenak jidatnya mengartikan non commercial term sebagai tanggung jawab sosial perusahaan. Itu artinya kalau perundingan soal BPL dengan TV teresterial gagal Astro harus menjadi sinterklas membagikan BPL ke teresterial dengan harga semurah-murahnya kalau perlu jual rugi. Dia memang tak mengatakan persis seperti itu tapi saya bisa dan boleh menafsirkannya seperti yang saya tulis di atas.

Depkominfo juga mengeluarkan surat yang isinya memaksa Astro untuk segera memberikan "akses kepada publik" agar bisa menyaksikan BPL paling lambat 14 September. Sembari menunggu keputusan Komisi Pengawas Persaingan Usaha kalau Astro tak melaksanakan perintah itu siaran BPL harus dihentikan.

Ada beberapa catatan tentang surat ini; Pertama surat ini tak memakai dasar hukum apapun, kita bisa menafsirkannya sebagai perwujudan gaya pemerintahan yang fasis dan otoriter, persis Deppen selama Orde Baru. Jadi Depkominfo tak lebih dari Deppen yang berganti nama.

Catatan kedua adalah; Deppen, eh salah, DepKominfo sudah terkooptasi oleh kepentingan pesaing Astro yang gagal mendapatkan BPL. Apa urusannya pemerintah mengadukan Astro ke KPPU kalau bukan karena ditunggangi pesaing Astro? Lha wong Trans7 yang kalah bidding saja tak mengadu kok ini malah pemerintah yang kebakaran jenggot. Sikap ini juga diamini oleh KPI.

KPI juga tumben-tumbenan seiring dan sejalan dengan pemerintah. Anggota KPI Bimo Nugroho dengan gagah mengatakan KPI akan melarang Astro menyiarkan Liga Inggris jika tak membuka akses kepada publik, "Kami pernah melakukannya ketika melarang smackdown di televisi." Luar biasa nalar yang dikedepankan anggota KPI yang juga dosen pasca sarjana komunikasi UI ini, menyamakan sepakbola dengan smackdown.

Logika keblinger yang dipakai pemerintah dan KPI sesungguhnya menyedihkan sekaligus memalukan. Mau dibawa kemana negeri ini?