Local subscription broadcasting providers are being reminded of the deadlines for securing the rights to broadcast certain U.S. Free-to-Air stations.
In the case of NBC, the deadline is April 30th 2026.
For ABC rights must be obtained by August 31st 2026, and for CBS rights must be obtained by December 30th 2026.
Unless secured, providers will no longer be able to carry those stations in their channel line-ups.
The reminder comes from the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago, which says failure to comply with intellectual property rights obligations negatively impacts this country’s trade relations and global partnerships.
It says since 2015, it has been working with cable subscription TV providers and international stakeholders, including the U.S. Free-to-Air stations, to secure the broadcast rights for these stations.
However, TATT says despite extensive discussions, authorisation to broadcast these stations are not yet available.
Accordingly, broadcasting these channels without obtaining the necessary authorisation violates intellectual property laws.
TATT says it continues to work with the Intellectual Property Office of Trinidad and Tobago, the Ministry of Trade, Investment and Tourism, the Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs and local subscription cable providers to ensure that the required Intellectual Property rights are secured for all channels carried in Trinidad and Tobago.
