Towards More Competition in Pay TV Services?

Abstract

In January 2014, the EU Commission opened an investigation into the agreements concluded between Hollywood major studios and pay TV operators in different EU Member States. According to the EU Commission, some of the restraints included in these agreements restrict cross-border competition between broadcasters. But it is not clear whether intervention through competition law will achieve the policy objectives sought. It would seem that the absence of cross-border competition is not so much the consequence of a set of restrictive agreements but of the underlying features and dynamics of the industry.