Broadcasters should have to give Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) and ...
Broadcasters should have to give Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) and mobile operators access to their content, the German Competitive Carriers Association (VATM) said Thursday. The convergence of TV, Internet and telephony requires a radical change in media policy to…
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ensure that TV broadcasters do not dictate prices for content new services bring to end- users, attorney Axel Spies said on behalf of the group. The VATM statement came in a hearing on proposed German Broadcasting Convention changes. In Germany, states, not the federal government, control broadcast issues, Spies said. States coordinate via the broadcast treaty; large public TV stations are financed by a broadcast tax, he said. VATM members fear their innovative services will be denied market entry because so far, state broadcast agencies have done nothing to keep cable and satellite broadcasters from raising prices for content, making alternative platforms very costly, Spies said. Public and private broadcasters are already active in the IPTV market and control the prices for new content, he said. Instead of outdated “must carry” rules for IPTV and mobile services platform operators, he said, broadcasters should come under “must offer” rules. Viewers should pick the conduit on which receive TV content, Spies said. The VATM wants the broadcast treaty amended to give IPTV and mobile operators non-discriminatory access to content, he said.