KEY POINTS:
TV3 says it will respond by the end of the week to government concerns about itsits screening of advertisements yesterday morning during the All Blacks shock defeat to France.
The station had salt rubbed into its wounds yesterday when the Ministry of Culture and Heritage sent an email to the broadcaster 30 minutes after the All Blacks were sent crashing out of the World Cup.
Under the Broadcasting Act, adverts are not allowed to screen on Sunday between 6am and midday.
TV3, which is understood to have paid around $10 million for the exclusive rights to the tournament, is confident it is within the law and plans to screen adverts again during next Sunday's semifinal and the following Sunday's final.
Ministry for Culture and Heritage chief executive Martin Matthews told the Herald he wrote yesterday to Brent Impey, chief executive of TV3 owner MediaWorks, asking him to explain the network's actions.
'I've asked for an explanation and once I have an explanation I'll then seek advice from the Crown solicitor for their interpretation of that view."
He said the first step was to ask for an explanation in writing. "I would like to deal with it as promptly as I can and I've asked for a rapid response from TV3 so that any uncertainty about this matter isn't left hanging for longer than it needs to."
He said the Broadcasting Act provided for fines of up to $100,000 for every infringement, but it wasn't clear if that meant a fine of $100,000 for each advertisement shown.
Mr Impey said yesterday he received the letter by email 30 minutes after the All Blacks defeat. "They've asked us for an explanation ... and we will be happy to provide them with a full explanation and supporting documents, which is what they've asked for."
He said the advertising packages for the tournament had been pre-sold, therefore there was no concern about advertisers pulling out of the remaining games.
"Obviously one of the major benefits for having the Rugby World Cup was that it focused attention on TV3 through until the final. There will still be people who will be interested in the semifinals and final, but certainly in terms of the spin-off advantages, it was in TV3's interest for the All Blacks to go the whole way."
TV3 spokesman Roger Beaumont said the broadcaster would "respond accordingly" by the end of the week and was "absolutely confident" it had a solid defence.
Under the Broadcasting Act, advertisements are allowed to screen on television on Sunday mornings if the signal for the programme originates outside New Zealand, is transmitted simultaneously to audiences outside and inside New Zealand and is targeted primarily at audiences outside New Zealand.
TV3 argued that the ban did not apply because it was broadcasting its cup signal to more than nine million people in 18 Pacific countries and territories.
