Singapore Pay-TV entered a new era on August 1 when new crosscarriage rules, announced in 2010, fi nally came into force – not that anyone’s talking about it.

Nearly 18 months after the ruling it seems the industry is still smarting. For a business that prides itself on communication, this silence is telling. Enquiries by the team at TV ASIA Plus regarding the issue were met with restrained quiet – one channel told me their vow of silence had come from “the top”, and they weren’t meaning regional heads.

Of course the reality of these rules – which, in a nutshell, means operators SingTel and StarHub must make available to each other channels and content acquired on an exclusive basis after August 1, 2011 – will not really be tested for some time yet as broadcasters have signed multi-year deals well in advance of the deadline. And how it will actually play out is still an intriguing mystery.

Such a ruling is a fi rst for PayTV rights; it’s unchartered territory but who exactly will be the benefactor? The decision was made to benefi t consumers in Singapore, but will channels, when their contracts are up for renewal, see the incentive to share? Already we are seeing more programmes being launched and tested in the region before their debut in other territories, but there’s a chance Singapore may be cut out of the loop due its new open source market. Smaller or new channels could benefi t by strengthening their branding and presence across two carriers, but as they expand, will their want to secure exclusivity and with it more $$, eventually mean two’s company, three’s a crowd? There’s also the issue of making smaller windows between a show’s airing in the US, for instance, and here – something the channels are pursuing to tackle piracy. Will this be less of a priority?

It seems the questions still outweigh the answers and no one is willing or able to take the fi rst move and share their bounty. Does silence always mean things are golden?