ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the issues and the policy response in Singapore and analyses the effectiveness of its objectives in light of the evidence in the 2 years since the cross-carriage rule took effect. Singapore's policy solution will be reviewed and compared against other regulatory measures in the United States and Europe, with a discussion of how the formative policy may be further enhanced in its relevance and application for other similar pay-TV markets in Asia and beyond. As the EPL programming swung over to SingTel, consumers felt coerced to have to sign up to both pay-TV networks in order to maintain the same suite of programming across the key genres in entertainment, news, sports and movies. The two leading telecommunications and pay-TV operators in Singapore, StarHub and SingTel, engage in sharply antagonistic competition. Liberalisation saw each one going head-to-head with the other in the strategy for 'triple play' of mobile, broadband and pay-TV services.
