I wonder for how long are we going to be taken for a ride and pay for services we’re not getting. As football fans might have noticed, last Wednesday’s UEFA Cup match between FC Brugge and AS Roma was blocked by Melita Cable. This seems to be a trend that is going to be adopted by Melita Cable whenever any of the foreign stations transmit football events.

Why is this being allowed to take place by the competent authorities when we subscribers pay for various packages provided by Melita Cable? I think that I am entitled to receive all programmes transmitted on every channel in the particular package I am paying for. This has always been the case for years.

But suddenly Melita Cable decided to block all matches transmitted by Rai and will probably do so next week with Mediaset too. Viewers now must subscribe to the new Sports Ticket at an extra cost of Lm25 for five months to watch Champions League games. If one wants to watch the World Cup, he or she must also now pay up for an event that was free up to the last edition.

When is the Maltese viewer going to wake up and fight for his rights?

Henry Calleja

St Julian’s