ITV’s efforts to attain carriage for its flagship channel, ITV1, on digital satellite, were boosted today by the tabling of an Early Day Motion (EDM) by MP Chris Bryant, the Labour member for the Rhondda, which formed part of his campaign to get ITV1 carried on Sky Digital by Christmas.
Bryant points out that in some parts of the country, including in his own constituency, ITV Digital and cable services are not available, which means would-be multi-channel customers must take the Sky option and put up with having to disconnect their receiver if they want to watch ITV1. The MP today called for Sky customers to put pressure on the service provider to resolve the issue, and proposes regulatory intervention if the deadlock continues: “If Sky and ITV can’t agree a sensible price by the end of the month then OFTEL should intervene to make sure that Sky viewers don’t miss out.”
The issue of ITV1 carriage on Sky Digital has remained unresolved mainly due to issues of cost. “Unfortunately ITV and Sky have very different views as to whether payment should be due to Sky from ITV as a result of Sky’s customers being given better access to ITV’s services” admitted an ITV spokesman today. The fact that Sky Digital’s main rival, ITV Digital, is owned by the two major ITV shareholders, Carlton and Granada, has not encouraged Sky to be benevolent on this issue.
ITV today welcomed the EDM, saying, “The failure so far to reach a deal highlights the need for the Government to ensure that its forthcoming Communications Bills extends to satellite the “must carry” requirements that already apply to cable and, effectively, digital terrestrial.”
ITV struck a deal earlier this year with the Societe Europeene des Satellites (SES) which will enable ITV services to be broadcast via ASTRA to the UK, once the necessary uplink structure has been built (see ITV Signs Digital Satellite Deal). Today it reiterated its intention to launch ITV1 on satellite by the end of the year “irrespective of whether or not we do a deal with Sky”.
BSkyB: 020 7705 3000 www.sky.com ITV Digital: 0808 100 0101 www.itv-digital.co.uk
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