MIPTV, Cannes – Over a month since the announcement of regulatory changes barring content exclusivity, Acting Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts Lui Tuck Yew responded to questions at a media roundtable organized by the Media Development Authority of Singapore at MIPTV. Asked why the MDA had called for open consultation on the Media Market Content Code only after the cross-carriage policy had been introduced, the Minister said that, prior to the March 12 announcement, consultations had been conducted behind closed doors due to the sensitivity of the issue. He declined to share exactly who those consultations were conducted with. What is known, however, is that several major broadcasters were not consulted on the matter of content exclusivity. When it was pointed out that the consultation process had possibly prompted exclusive deals to pre-empt anti-exclusivity legislation, the Minister said the government would be investigating whether information had been leaked. Back in February 2010, a Media Partners Asia report had speculated code changes would be announced after Lunar New Year. Despite the closed-door nature of more recent exclusivity debate, it has been common knowledge that consultations into the issue have been ongoing since SingTel’s entry into Singapore’s pay-TV market.