If being able to watch the 2007 Rugby World Cup on television will enable one to go to heaven, only 700 Tongan families will make it; the rest will have to watch wrestling on Tonfon, or Beijing Olympic hype on CCTV, and ex-students' programs on TV Tonga.

The 700 lucky ones are those who subscribe to Sky TV, which has the exclusive right to televise the Rugby World Cup for Tonga.

Although they are the agent for Sky TV in Tonga, the local free station Television Tonga will not be able to broadcast live any of the 'Ikale Tahi matches, "because the right per game is just too expensive," said Katalina Tohi, the manager of Television Tonga.

Katalina said to pay for the right to broadcast live one game is around USD$700, which TV Tonga cannot afford. An alternative is to broadcast replays of selected games such as Tonga's 'Ikale Tahi matches because it is much cheaper for a replay than to view live, she added.

Katalina believes that a better deal is for Tongan rugby viewers to subscribe to Sky TV because they are offering a special package to enable the public to view all of the Rugby World Cup's 48 matches.

Sky was launched in Tonga on November 21, 2005 in partnership with the Tonga Broadcasting Commission (TBC), making it the sole distributor and the reseller of their channels and equipment in the country.

But even with the special price SkyTV is offering, very few Tongan families can afford the cost of a $691 satellite disk and the $85 monthly fee.

Radio Tonga

So when the World Cup matches kick off next week most Tongan rugby fans will be tuning in to their radios.

Radio Tonga will be broadcasting live the rugby matches, and reaching listeners in the outer islands and the villages of Tongatapu.

The Rugby World Cup matches run from September 7 to October 20, 2007 in France. Tonga's first match is agains the USA on September 12, and then they will meet Samoa on September 16, South Africa on September 22, and England on September 28.

Tonfon

Meanwhile, Tonfon Television will not be broadcasting any of the Rugby World Cup matches, according to Mark Schmidt the General Manager.

Tonfon has seven pay to view channels that run 24 hours.