Advanced Television

Spain: Competition probe into programme financing

January 19, 2016

From David Del Valle in Madrid

The Spanish competition watchdog CNMC has started legal proceedings against the operators DTS, Orange and Multicanal Iberia for breaking the legal obligation of financing European TV programmes in 2012 and 2013.

The breach could bring together fines of between €500,000 and €1 million. The law obliges TV and telco operators with TV distribution to dedicate 5 per cent of their revenues to financing European TV programmes: TV movies and cinema movies, series, documentaries and animation films and series. In the case of public operators, they should destine up to 6 per cent.

Sixty per cent of the financial aid must be destined to the production of cinema films and in turn the 60 per cent of that percentage to programmes in any of the official languages in Spain.

Categories: Articles, Broadcast, Policy, Regulation