INFORMATION and Telecommunications Minister Daryl Vaz has urged cable and satellite programming service provider, HBO Latin America Group, to use more Caribbean content in their programmes.

Vaz said the Caribbean is universally accepted as having extremely talented and creative people, dance, music and other areas of artistic expression.

“The challenge that I would make to HBO is that they join with producers in the region to showcase this talent to international audiences,” Vaz said.

Vaz, in a speech delivered by Jo-Ann Archibald — principal director for information and technology in the Office of the Prime Minister at Monday evening’s official launch of the agreement between subscriber television cable operator Flow and HBO at the Spanish Court Hotel in Kingston — said this could provide rich content for HBO’s global cable market.

This, he noted, was something that the Government of Jamaica would be more than willing to collaborate with HBO in developing.

The minister noted further that the broadcast agreement would benefit the local cable industry.

“We congratulate Flow and HBO on reaching an agreement that gives all 39 cable operators in Jamaica the opportunity to enter into formal agreements with HBO to re-sell their content,” said Vaz, adding that it is naturally anticipated that other cable operators will reach similar agreements with HBO in the following weeks and months.

“We also congratulate HBO for taking the steps necessary to clear the content for broadcast here in Jamaica and are confident that their investment in the English-speaking Caribbean, a region with a powerful and positive international presence, will be of immense value to their brand,” Vaz said.

Last September, the Broadcasting Commission delivered a cease and desist order to three Kingston cable operators — Flow, Telstar Cable and Logic One — following a complaint by HBO that its intellectual property rights were being violated because the local operators weren’t paying for its signals. HBO said they were losing out on some US$5 to 6 million in Jamaica alone.

Monday, Broadcasting Commission Chairman Dr Hopeton Dunn — in lauding the agreement — said the Commission had been receiving numerous calls from anxious members of the public seeking update on the negotiations.

He expressed pleasure that the public will finally be able to hear that the agreement has been signed and settled.

“I take the opportunity to call on all the players in the industry to work together to arrive at an agreement that can go right across the industry so that Jamaica can benefit and Jamaican consumers can benefit from the high quality content that is available,” Dr Dunn said.

Javier Figueras, sales vice-president of HBO Latin America Group, told the Observer that the Jamaican consumer will not only be able to receive a great package, but one which costs less than what is charged in the US.

“I think it is very great programming for the money and it is actually cheaper than the US,” he said.

The new HBO package includes HBO, HBO Plus, HBO Family, Cinemax, Max Prime, HBO HD and the Warner Channel, among others.

Meanwhile, Michele English, president and chief operating officer at Flow, said “we see this agreement with HBO as a further re-enforcement of our commitment to meet international standards as it relates to programming and subscription procedures and to provide our customers with the best content available in our market.”