Mexico’s telecommunications regulator, the Instituto Federal de Telecomunicaciones (IFT), is considering forcing Televisa and América Movil to share programming covered by existing ‘exclusive’ rights deals after blocking the media companies from striking such agreements in the future.
IFT commissioner Maria Elena Estavillo told the Reuters news agency that the watchdog had ordered the media companies to deliver details of their current exclusive rights deals by the start of next week. “We will study the exact situation of each one,” Estavillo said.
The regulator, which has confirmed plans to block América Movil, owned by Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim, and Televisa from acquiring exclusive rights deals for major sporting events, has also barred the dominant media companies from exclusive coverage of national football team matches and the final games of Mexican football’s top division campaign.
Earlier this year, the IFT said that the country’s major media companies would also be forced to share their infrastructure with competitors under the new legislation, which still has to be approved by the national congress.