German cable operator NetCologne and public broadcaster ZDF have settled their long-standing legal dispute over the payment of carriage fees for the cable distribution of ZDF channels.
A new, long-term agreement ensures that the more than 265,000 NetTV customers of NetCologne and its subsidiary NetAachen can receive ZDF services in all resolutions. The mobile use of ZDF content on smartphones and catch-up service ZDFmediathek are also covered by the contract.
The legal dispute, which has been ongoing since 2011, revolved around the question of whether ZDF has to pay carriage fees to NetCologne for cable distribution. “The two parties agreed on a future-oriented cooperation within the framework of an overall settlement, taking into account the criteria developed by the Federal Court of Justice in the two judgments NetCologne I (BGH, judgment of April 12, 2016 – KZR 30/14) and NetCologne II (BGH, judgment of December 3, 2019 – KZR 29/17). Certainly, the mutual contributions and their value as well as other measures and framework conditions referred to in the respective judgements were taken into account,” a NetCologne spokeswoman told Broadband TV News.
She did not comment on the question of whether NetCologne would now receive carriage fees from ZDF: “Please understand that we are subject to confidentiality due to the agreement concluded and cannot provide any further details on this.”
