Chances for a common online platform for German private broadcasters ProSiebenSat.1 and RTL have slimmed down even further following a ruling by the Oberlandesgericht in Dusseldorf.
The German court has confirmed an earlier ruling by the country’s monopoly commission (Bundeskartellamt) that the two main German private broadcasting groups have a too dominant position on the TV advertising market.
After an initial refusal by the Bundeskartellamt, the two broadcaster took the case to the Dusseldorf court in an attempt to overrule the commission’s refusal.
Although the online video portals of the two groups have a significant lower share of the online video market, the Bundeskartellamt ruled that a common online platform would strengthen the duopoly of the two broadcasters.
The original plan for a ‘German Hulu’ was to open up the service to third parties. The ruling opens up changes for new entrants to the online video market in the country. Even Hulu itself might want to launch a German version of its service – either as a ad-supported or as a premium service.
Meanwhile, the German public broadcasters also want to launch a common platform tentatively called Germany’s Gold. However, the Bundeskartellamt still has to rule on this initiative.
About Robert Briel
