NATIONAL radio broadcaster SIBC, has signed a contract with New Zealand communications company MMG Communications to build SIBC Television in time for this year’s Pacific Games.
SIBC’s Chairman, William Parairato, signed the contract with MMG to pave the way for the supply of equipment and eventual installation from June this year, SIBC announced in a statement this week.
Under the agreement, MMG will provide technical and production training to SIBC staff and prepare the station to broadcast a local channel, featuring local athletes during the 2023 Pacific Games, which Solomon Islands is hosting this year.
SIBC recently received SBD$4 million as a result of an intervention by Prime Minister, Manasseh Sogavare, who has committed the Solomon Islands Government to ensuring the people of Solomon Islands have a local TV station in 2023.
“We the board, management and staff of SIBC would like to thank the Prime Minister’s Office for the support. We look forward to bringing a local TV service to our people,” Chairman of SIBC, Dr Parairato said.
Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation has been a radio broadcaster for seventy years. While Solomon Islands has two local digital TV platforms, there has been no fully fledged local channel. SIBC TV will feature local news, current affairs, live sport and entertainment.
“MMG Communications is very pleased to be a part of this project. We have been working on this since 2021and we’re thrilled to be able to be supporting SIBC’s goal to be a national TV broadcaster,” MMG’s Richard Broadbridge said.
According to the SIBC statement, MMG is supplying production and master control technology to allow SIBC to be aired on Telekom TV’s Digital platforms during the 2023 Pacific Games. MMG will be providing two trainers for six months and will prepare staff and management around sustainability.
SIBC and MMG are jointly bidding to be the Host Broadcaster of the Pacific Games, Pacific Islands’ largest sporting event held every four years. Some 5, 000 athletes and officials will converge on Solomon Islands in November 2023. If awarded the Host Broadcaster role, SIBC and MMG propose to broadcast eleven channels via TTV’s digital platforms including its App TTV Now.
The SIBC TV build project begins in June and ends in December 2023.
