Plans by RTL and ProSiebenSat.1 to create a joint online portal, dubbed the German Hulu, have been all but buried after a regional court in Düsseldorf backed an earlier judgment at federal level.
In its ruling the court said the proposed library would strengthen the already dominant position of Germany’s two leading private broadcasters.
Andreas Mundt, president of the Federal Cartel Office, said: “The decision of the Court of Appeal is an important signal for the protection of competition in new media. The dynamics of these markets does not mean that companies that already hold marker power will not try to expand their market position in traditional markets and to secure transfer to emerging markets.”
The original plan for a ‘German Hulu’ was to open up the service to third parties.
