Sports media complex in stagnation: The dispute of CPBL broadcasting rights in 2014 and the predicament of Taiwanese sports and media industries

Abstract

2014年初跨國運動媒體業者MP & Silva以6年約21億元的「天價」，標得中華職棒賽事轉播權。但因與有線系統及頻道洽談失利，由僅在中華電信MOD上架的博斯電視台播出，絕大多數有線電視系統用戶無法收看中職轉播。但下半球季MP & Silva中止合約，轉播權再回到有線電視系統上的運動頻道，權利金也回檔至過去數年的水平。雖然近年中職現場觀眾人數維持高檔，但2014年轉播權爭議後權利金仍難見成長，使運動產業進一步發展受限。本文透過對此次爭議相關當事人的深度訪談、及對電視與運動產業的官方調查等次級資料，首先說明本地運動媒體複合體的「停滯」特徵。其次，本文發現有線電視系統與頻道代理商主導的電視產業下，職棒轉播陷入「三低」困境－內容投資低、直接廣告營收低、新競爭者進入可能性低。研究結果顯示，當前媒體產業結構的困境，對運動文化產業發展與公民傳播權益造成傷害。

The broadcasting rights of Taiwanese professional baseball league (CPBL) 2014 games were acquired by MP & Silva, a transnational sports agency of media rights distribution, with a sky-high price at NT$ 2.1 billion for six-year contract. However, the CPBL games were broadcasted by the Sportscast Channel which was only carried on the MOD, the Chunghwa Telecom IPTV, due to the negotiations fail with MSOs which controlled major shares of local TV viewers. As the result, CPBL games were excluded by cable TV and most fans were unable to watch games broadcasting at that time. Few months later during the CPBL season, MP & Silva suddenly terminated the contract and then the broadcasting rights of remaining games returned to sports channels carried on cable systems. Following the period of turmoil, CPBL broadcasting rights fee was reduced to as low as that of previous years although the average number of attendants had increased dramatically in recent seasons. Nevertheless, the dispute of broadcasting rights in 2014 had resulted in the halt of rights fee while number of CPBL fans maintained growth in following years, and therefore limited the development of local sports industry. Firstly, through in-depth interviewing with the parties in local baseball league and television industry, as well as examining related governmental or industrial surveys, this paper illustrates the stagnation of Taiwanese sports media complex. Secondly, the predicament of local TV and professional baseball is examined and demonstrated through detailing the process of the dispute. Due to the monopoly by MSOs and their agencies, Taiwanese sports broadcasting market has faced the difficulties of underdevelopment, including low investing in TV rights, low income from advertising, and low degree of competition. The monopolistic structure of media industry has resulted in the impairment of both the development of sport industry and communication rights of sport fans.