Ono has criticised the Spanish government over what the cablenet perceives to be an eleventh hour change to allow pay-TV broadcasts over the country’s DTT platform.
At least six requests to encrypt transmissions have now been made to the Ministry for Industry. Ono says the licences were issued on the basis that the channels would be broadcast free-to-air.
Ono has asked the ministry to see the recent request put in by La Sexta to launch a pay-TV service. The cablenet says it wants to analyse the conditions and potentially file its own application.
Football rights have again become a major flashpoint with the government adamant that pay DTT services are not a means to monopolise the game’s distribution. However, ONO has drawn attention to Mediapro’s hold on Spanish soccer rights, and its long running dispute with Digital+.
