The way things have developed in the television world and the rights issue makes it clear that we have embarked on a road that is difficult to turn back from, as you rightly point out in your editorial (TMID, 22 March).

Competition is healthy because, apart from other things, it brings down prices and offers a wider array of products and services. But at the other end of this scale, the consumer is being hit.

While people buying from a supermarket can pick and choose from different brands according to their liking and depending on the money they have in their pocket, the television scenario is quite different.

Some may choose to have both Melita Cable and Multiplus in their homes to be able to get the best of both worlds. But the great majority of people have only one service provider, and this means that they have the advantage of seeing what this provider is offering but are losing out if the rights are bought by the competitor.

The problem is that many consumers did not see this coming, and were caught in long contracts that they would have not entered into if matters had been explained better. They have paid for a package and are not getting the whole of it because some stations are being blocked when the rights are bought by the competitor.

Is there a way out of this?

G. Mifsud

Mosta