Sky rivals call on Ofcom to speed up its probe into the pay-TV market
Broadcasters have urged Ofcom to speed up its review of the pay-TV industry, calling on it to implement rules to force Sky to wholesale premium sports and movies content to rivals at fixed prices.
The watchdog yesterday published submissions to its third consultation on the pay-TV review, which showed that Sky’s rivals are becoming increasingly frustrated over slow progress.
“At this stage, it seems likely that the third anniversary of the investigation’s beginning will arrive before the plans are implemented,” Virgin Media, BT and Top Up TV said in a joint submission.
Ofcom launched the investigation because of concerns that BSkyB’s market dominance enables it to limit the availability – and control the price – of premium sport and movie content, preventing others from entering thepay-TVspace.
The BBC called for “no further delay to action, since this would make it more difficult for potential competitors to survive or develop.”
Many in the industry had hoped that Ofcom would publish its final conclusions before the end of this year, but that now looks highly unlikely. A failure to implement new rules before the general election could mean Ofcom’s efforts are wasted, as the watchdog might lose powers under a Tory government.
Meanwhile, sports bodies such as the Football Association and the England and Wales Cricket Board attacked Ofcom’s plans, saying that they would lead to lower bids for sports rights.