ITV Back Down Over Sky Charges
 

It doesn't necessarily mean that they won't go FTA though.


http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcas...546228,00.html

ITV backs down over Sky access charges

Chris Tryhorn
Wednesday August 10, 2005

ITV has withdrawn its formal complaint to regulators about the charges
it pays to BSkyB for ensuring that satellite viewers receive the correct
regional version of ITV1.
The company had alleged that Sky's proposed charges were "unfair,
unreasonable and unduly discriminatory and therefore in breach of
BSkyB's obligations under EU and UK law" when it lodged a complaint with
Ofcom at the end of last year.

But today it withdrew its complaint after resuming negotiations on a new
contract with Sky, and the regulator, Ofcom, said it had closed its file
on the case.

A Sky spokesman said ITV's decision vindicated the satellite operator:
"We have consistently maintained that we offer conditional access
services including regionalisation on fair, reasonable and
non-discriminatory terms.

"ITV has effectively acknowledged this by withdrawing its complaint to
Ofcom. The offer of conditional access charges, which we made to ITV
last year, is still open for acceptance by ITV."

Since contract talks with Sky broke down last year, ITV has been paying
Sky under the terms of its previous deal, which expired in November.

ITV wants a big reduction on the £17m it is believed to pay Sky each
year to encrypt and regionalise its channel.

Regionalisation means that a viewer in Manchester, for instance, will
automatically get Granada at channel 103 on Sky Digital, while a Belfast
viewer would get Ulster TV.

The channel is required to broadcast region-specific programming under
its public service obligations and derives significant revenues from
advertising tailored to local audiences.

ITV now has to decide whether to follow the BBC and broadcast "in the
clear", abandoning Sky's encryption services that stop viewers outside
the UK picking up ITV1. The ITV2 and ITV3 channels already broadcast
without encryption.

Encryption is an important issue for rights holders such as sports
bodies and Hollywood studios, which do not want their properties being
shown in "overspill" countries such as Ireland and France.

Although the BBC went "in the clear", it signed up to a new package of
services to ensure the right regional editions of BBC1 and BBC2 appeared
in the 101 and 102 slots.

ITV also complained to watchdogs about Sky's charges for "conditional
access", or encryption, after it negotiated its last contract in
November 2001. The regulator at that time, Oftel, later rejected the
complaint.




--
Steve - www.digitalradiotech.co.uk - Digital Radio News & Info

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"DAB sounds worse than FM" wrote in message
...
[snip]
ITV now has to decide whether to follow the BBC and broadcast "in
the
clear", abandoning Sky's encryption services that stop viewers
outside
the UK picking up ITV1. The ITV2 and ITV3 channels already broadcast
without encryption.

Encryption is an important issue for rights holders such as sports
bodies and Hollywood studios, which do not want their properties
being
shown in "overspill" countries such as Ireland and France.
[snip]

Isn't there an issue about free exchange of services or whatever
within the EU. Under that policy don't viewers in all the EU
countries have the same rights of access to any material transmitted
within the EU?
So if its FTA here, then it should be FTA everywhere within the EU.

Roger

Roger R wrote:

Isn't there an issue about free exchange of services or whatever
within the EU. Under that policy don't viewers in all the EU
countries have the same rights of access to any material transmitted
within the EU?
So if its FTA here, then it should be FTA everywhere within the EU.

*****

Nope.

It's nothing to do with a free market in services (do we have a
*right* to ZDF or RAI or TF1 in the U.K.?). It's to do with copyrights
and contracts.

André Coutanche

"Roger R" wrote in message
...


Isn't there an issue about free exchange of services or whatever
within the EU. Under that policy don't viewers in all the EU
countries have the same rights of access to any material transmitted
within the EU?
So if its FTA here, then it should be FTA everywhere within the EU.

Roger


And in Britain we should by law be able to watch the RTE (Republic of
Ireland) channels.
Not that I want to but I'm making a point.
Regards Mike.

"André Coutanche" wrote in message
...
Roger R wrote:

Isn't there an issue about free exchange of services or whatever
within the EU. Under that policy don't viewers in all the EU
countries have the same rights of access to any material transmitted
within the EU?
So if its FTA here, then it should be FTA everywhere within the EU.

*****

Nope.

It's nothing to do with a free market in services (do we have a
*right* to ZDF or RAI or TF1 in the U.K.?). It's to do with copyrights
and contracts.

André Coutanche


Surely EU law should override any copyright access problems.
Regards Mike.

"DAB sounds worse than FM" wrote:
http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcas...546228,00.html
ITV backs down over Sky access charges

Chris Tryhorn
[...]
ITV now has to decide whether to follow the BBC and broadcast "in the
clear", abandoning Sky's encryption services that stop viewers outside
the UK picking up ITV1. The ITV2 and ITV3 channels already broadcast
without encryption. [...]

ITV2 without encryption? Is that right, or do both sentences of this
Grauniad paragraph show misunderstanding of digital satellite TV?

Still hoping for more FTA ITV,
--
MJR/slef