Ofcom: BSkyB is dominant
October 1, 2008
Ofcom has said that BSkyB has "market power" over live Premier League football and Hollywood films and has launched a consultation that could force it to make the content available to all other pay TV operators at more competitive prices.Publishing the findings of its review of the UK pay-TV market, Ofcom said that BSkyB has "an incentive to limit the distribution of this content to competitors, in a manner that favours its own satellite platform". However, Ofcom, which launched the investigation after a joint complaint from BT, Setanta, Top Up TV and Virgin Media, rejected calls by BSkyB’s rivals that the issue should be referred to the competition commission.Meanwhile Ofcom has said it may grant permission for BSkyB's DTT pay tier, the so-called Picnic, if Sky agrees to wholesale the channels involved to other platforms. Earlier this month BSkyB shelved plans for Picnic, claiming that Ofcom’s regulatory review was taking too long. It is understood that BSkyB came close to agreeing a wholesale distribution pricing deal with Ofcom earlier in the summer. However, the deal fell through and lead to BSkyB dropping the project and axing jobs related to it. Ofcom’s Pay-TV consultations will close on December 9 with the findings due to be published in the New Year…………………..