The current HD carriage distribution model of Germany’s largest cable operator Kabel Deutschland doesn’t comply with the principle of equal chances and poses unreasonable obstructions to smaller and new TV channels.
This is the result of the evaluation of the large platform operators’ carriage contracts by the German media authorities’ licencing and supervision commission ZAK. The examination includes the contracts for encrypted HD distribution of commercial TV channels offered to viewers for an additional reception fee.
The usage of the so called CPS model (coins per subscriber) to gain access to the HD platform obstructs variety in the broadcast market as it makes economically sense only for strong market players in its current constitution, argues ZAK.
The media regulators have, thus, requested Kabel Deutschland to change the CPS model for encrypted HD distribution to achieve compliance with the prohibition of discrimination prescribed in the broadcast law and to end the unequal treatment. Federal network agency Bundesnetzagentur will be included in this procedure.
ZAK will evaluate the carriage conditions of further platform operators including Astra platform HD+.
