Greece

[GR] Telecommunication Companies Enter the Pay-TV Service Market

IRIS 2009-2:1/23

Athina Fragkouli

RIPE NCC, Amsterdam

Greek companies traditionally active in the telecommunications sector have lately shown an increasing interest in pay-TV services. In accordance with Greek and EU regulation, the Greek authorities are called upon to approve and authorize any new pay-TV activities.

In particular, the takeover of "NetMed NV" (that provides the Greek pay-TV service platform "Nova") by “Forthnet SA” (a Greek alternative telephony and Internet service provider) was formally completed through the publication of a recent decision of the relevant regulatory authority, the Ethiniki Epitropi Tilepikoinonion kai Taxidromion (National Committee for Telecommunication and Postal Services - E.E.T.T.). The national regulatory authority did not find the existence of a market that might be influenced, and considered that “Forthnet SA” could lawfully provide radio-television services via its broadband network, as well as via the purchased company or it can use the satellite network of “Syned SA” (a NetMed BV subsidiary active in the pay-TV sector), which has leased capacity in Greek satellite HELLAS SAT 2 without any overlapping of its activities. Since all the required formal conditions (notifications to the Competition authority, publications in the financial press) were fulfilled as well, the authority approved the takeover.

In another case, the Ethiniko Symvoulio Rediotileorasis (National Council for Radio and Television - ESR), in a decision published on 29 July 2008, granted authorization for operation to the company Hellas Sat (the owner and operator of the Greek HELLAS SAT satellite, controlled directly by OTE A.E., the Greek telecom provider) for the provision of pay-TV services via satellite. This five-year term of authorization refers to the 96-hour broadcast of foreign television channels that are already transmitted in high resolution.


References


  • Απόφαση υπ’ αριθμόν 424/2008 του Εθνικού Συμβουλίου Ραδιοτηλεόρασης “Άδεια Συνδρομητικής Τηλεόρασης”
  • http://www.esr.gr/
  • Decision no. 424/2008 οf the National Council for Radio and Television, “Authorization of Pay-TV”

This article has been published in IRIS Legal Observations of the European Audiovisual Observatory.