Prebble Blames Sky For DTT’s Difficulties

Following Sky chief executive Tony Ball’s attack on ITV Digital in last week’s Financial Times’ Creative Business supplement, in which he blamed the group’s “bad management” for its problems, in this week’s edition his opposite number at ITV Digital, Stuart Prebble, accuses Sky of abusing its control of content and appeals to the government for help.

In his article, Prebble says that Sky “has reacted in the way in which every dominant incumbent reacts”; first by trying to join the DTT consortium and then by trying to put the platform out of business. He claims that at the launch of the digital platforms, Sky supplied its “essential content”- movies and sport- “on terms that ensured the new platform would lose money.”

Despite the fact that during the last quarter ITV Digital obtained more new subscribers than Sky Digital, Prebble says that DTT “needs the effective support of government and regulators”. This would include deliverance on the promise of better DTT reception included in the Digital Action Plan (see Government Launches Digital TV Action Plan) and the establishment of what he describes as “fair market conditions”.

The consequences of ITV Digital going under- a prospect still hotly denied by the broadcaster- would be a resumption of Sky’s position as monopoly provider of digital TV content, Prebble warns, as he doesn’t anticipate other parties stepping forward to take up the poisoned chalice, for fear of suffering the same fate. “It does not have to be that way.” insists Prebble, “The core consumer proposition of ITV Digital is immensely strong. If the government and regulators decide to allow fair competition, it will be to the benefit of PSB broadcasters, manufacturers, retailers and, most importantly, consumers.”

BSkyB: 020 7705 3000 www.sky.com Financial Times: www.ft.com ITV Digital: 0808 100 0101 www.itv-digital.co.uk

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