Norwegian IPTV provider Bredbåndsaktøren Lyse says it has come under pressure from commercial channel TV2 to take its full suite of channels.
In an open hearing of the parliamentary culture committee Dagfinn Wåge from Lyse’s umbrella brand Altibox said TV2 was pushing distributors to buy more channels. “We are not in the position where we can offer individual channels,” said Wåge, stressing that the commercial channel was not the only broadcaster that was exerting such pressure.
TV2 itself has previously played hardball with distributors Viasat and Canal Digital, earlier this year threatening to withdraw the channels from the satellite platforms.
However, TV2 CEO Alf Hildrum conceded that without the carriage paid by Canal Digital, the broadcaster would not have been able to launch its TV2 Nyhetskanalen.
