Wednesday, July 08, 2009

France: Competition Authority warns France Telecom on limits of exclusivitiy deals on content may are limited by competition law

[reuters] Orange's ambition to use exclusive TV content to retain and draw customers suffered a setback on Tuesday after France's competition watchdog imposed a limit of one to two years on such offers.

Orange has invested heavily in premium television series, films and League 1 soccer matches but the regulator recommended that it gave access to its content to a wider pool of customers than just its own existing broadband subscribers.

The watchdog said the telecoms operator, part of France Telecom (FTE.PA), should distribute its TV content to users of other platforms after an initial period of one to two years, threatening its closed-circuit business model.

In May, Orange won a court appeal that gave it the right to sell subscriptions to its Orange Sport channel only to its triple play subscribers - getting television, high-speed Internet and telephony services.

Pay-TV group Canal Plus and telecoms group SFR, part of Vivendi (VIV.PA), have attacked the exclusive nature of Orange's television broadband offers.

Watchdog hits Orange's exclusive TV broadband deals

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