Bruno Lasserre, President of the French competition authority (l’Autorité de la concurrence), has suggested Canal+ should be subject to a wholesale must offer order that would make the premium channel available to other platforms.
Lasserre insisted a law regulating the French pay-TV was required, which he said was a response to the dominance of Canal in the sector, but so far the government has resisted his calls. According to Lasserre, Canal’s position has for the time being had been offset by commitments made by the paycaster in the wake of its merger with TPS.
The competition authority has pointed to Ofcom’s proposal’s for wholesale must offer placed on Sky Sports as justification for its proposals. “We should learn from the British experience and establish a sustainable manner on the pay TV market requirement for a dominant player, Canal+, to make available to all those who wish the opportunity to buy wholesale content premium they are now denied, Lasserre told local media.
Canal has already agreed to unbundle some of its channels, but the agreement is no longer binding after 2012.
