The UK’s Competition Commission (CC) has found that British Sky Broadcasting is no longer dominant in the market for pay-TV movies, reversing its decision of last year.

Private practitioners and a senior European Commission official yesterday debated the impact of the European Court of Justice’s (ECJ) ruling in Murphy v Premier League, with some claiming it risked undermining the ability of movie producers and sporting leagues to offer quality content to broadcasters and audiences. Stefano Berra in London.

Ed Richards, chief executive of the UK's media and telecoms regulator, Ofcom, has warned that online video content providers do not provide sufficient competition to challenge the role of established broadcasters. Stefano Berra in London.

UK telecoms and media regulator Ofcom has urged the UK’s Competition Commission (CC) not to overestimate Netflix and Lovefilm’s ability to constrain British Sky Broadcasting’s (BSkyB) power in the pay-TV movie market.

The UK’s Competition Commission (CC) investigating British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB)’s grip on the pay-TV movie market has broadened its view of the market to take into account new film streaming services offered by Lovefilm and Netflix.

US pay-TV movie service Netflix’s launch in the UK and Ireland last week has complicated the UK Competition Commission’s decision on British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB)’s grip on the pay-TV movie market, introducing a significant new competitor for first showings of top movie releases.

An exclusivity deal between the Football Association Premier League and BSkyB that prevents UK viewers from watching foreign broadcasts of English Premier League matches violates EU competition law, according to a judgment by the European Court of Justice today.

The UK’s Competition Commission today provisionally ruled that broadcaster BSkyB is stifling competition and innovation in the pay-TV market for movies. 

The UK’s Culture Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, today said he is referring BSkyB/News Corporation to the Competition Commission after News Corp withdrew its offer to sell Sky News.

The UK’s culture secretary, Jeremy Hunt, says he intends to accept undertakings from News Corporation on its proposed takeover of BSkyB instead of referring the deal to the country’s Competition Commission.

The UK’s culture secretary says that he will send the merger between News Corp and BSkyB to the Competition Commission for review if the two sides cannot agree to a divestment package that would satisfy the government’s concerns.