BSkyB has said the extensive marketing given to the BBC iPlayer demonstrates how the corporation has the power to distort the market.
In its response to Lord Carter’s interim Digital Britain Report, the satcaster says the most appropriate role for the BBC in encouraging broadband take-up is to make its content available on as many platforms as possible.
Sky says that while claiming to adhere to the principal of platform neutrality, it has in fact promoted the Freeview DTT platform over Sky and cable. Sky believes the BBC is looking to further entrench the iPlayer by offering its underlying technology to the other public service broadcasters, and voices similar concerns that it might take Canvas the same way. According to Sky the BBC has only agreed to provide links to its own Sky Player online catch-up service, rather than the content itself.
It adds that further public intervention to support the existing PSBs, such as Channel 4, serves to undermine the incentives for private investment in content that meets public purposes. Channel 4, says Sky, should look beyond its core free-to-air network and explore the full potential of subscription funding.