Fijian Holdings Group owned Fiji Television Limited is now looking for a new building/office space to relocate its headquarters.

Fijian Holdings Group chief executive, Nouzab Fareed, confirmed this yesterday.

Mr Fareed said the reality was, over the past few years, they had reduced their staffing numbers from 190 to 80 at present. This includes the sale of its SKY Pacific operations to Digicel recently.

He said whilst before they had the numbers to occupy the whole building, it was no longer prudent for them to do so.

Fiji TV revealed a sudden spike in the commercial rent by at least 50 per cent by the landlord has made it unsustainable for the TV operator to continue renting there.

Fiji TV chief executive, Geoffrey Smith said with the kind of commercial rent they had been paying for over two decades and the recent demand for much higher commercial rent, the decision to seek out their own property made business sense.

He said the new property would be tailor made to proper TV standards.

“This is something that should have been thought of sooner but is still never too late to venture into now,” he said.

Tenancy

Fiji TV, long-term tenants of the buildings, now occupy only two levels on the Gorrie Street side of the building and have vacated the Government buildings-facing side.

Mr Fareed said they had made their intentions known to their landlord, Fiji Public Service Credit Union, who had come back saying they would have to rent the whole building.

As a result, Mr Fareed said Fiji Television decided to move out into a new space also given that the rent had not been brought down.

He further put rumours to rest which had alleged Fiji TV has only until Sunday to move out.

Mr Fareed said their lawyers had informed the landlord’s lawyers that they cannot be asked to move out immediately and needed time.

“We are looking around for office space and will most likely be out of that building by December this year,” he said.

“We have to find the right space given we need sufficient space for broadcasting and transmission equipment as well as sufficient parking spaces.”

Water Authority of Fiji has confirmed it now occupies two floors of the Fiji TV building (on the Government-facing side).

SKY Pacific is expected to vacate the office space they occupied on the ground floor and moved to Digicel by end of this month.

History

Fiji TC was one of the original tenants of the property in 1994 starting off with leasing a single floor.

Over the past 22 years, the building has also housed the former National Bank of Fiji, Fiji Electricity Authority as well as the Director of Public Prosecutions offices.

Gradually over the years, as those tenants moved out, Fiji TV took over renting the entire five floors as well as leasing the neighbouring Masonic Lodge carpark for its satellite dishes.

Fiji TV’s tenancy agreement expired in 2008 but since then, it has been paying rent on a roll over basis.

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