This is a development with huge implications for new media sports right in EU and hopefully some trickle down affects in rest of the world including U.S.: The European Union’s antitrust chief will open an inquiry into whether TV, music and sports operators are unfairly keeping their content from new media providers.
Monti warned he would use “all the powerful legal instruments” at his disposal to prevent the “foreclosure of markets” and promote the “rapid and undisturbed development” of new media.
In essence, offline media providers including TV broadcasters cannot try and throttle new media technologies and distribution methods.
(The full text of Monti’s speech at this event is here….)
Claudine Ripert Lander, COO of Luxembourg-based LuxSat, brought up the crux of the matter: Video on demand is also squeezed by theaters, video or DVD rentals, pay-per-view and pay-TV, none of which want to give up any of their “window” for exclusive access, she added. Access is a key issue for new media providers, who say the value of any content – such as a movie – increases or diminishes depending on how quickly after its release they can use it.
Reuters: The Commission needs to do more. Law professor Damien Geradin of the Institute for European Legal studies in Liege, Belgium, said Commission decisions so far have forced the UEFA football group to change the way it sells content, and Newscorp/Telepiu in Italy to share its premium content. He said these are only a first step.
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