United Kingdom: Ofcom refuses BT request for detailed study of competition in the pay-TV market

Ofcom has completed the first phase of its "Strategic Review of Digital Communications" and published its preliminary results on 16/07/2015. The UK independent telecom competition authority has also announced that it would look into the ease with which UK pay-TV customers can switch providers and on the impact of mobile and TV packages that are sold with the Internet access on competition.

The British group BT telecommunications had requested, on 09/07/2015, that Ofcom conduct a broader analysis of the pay-TV market in the UK in its strategic review of digital communications. "Consumers increasingly choose these packages that include both telecommunications services and TV content. So our analysis includes the content as stakeholders packages. This is not a detailed study of pay-TV, but it gives us the opportunity to step back and consider the broader question of packages," said a spokesman of Ofcom to the Guardian on 17/07/2015.

"The one area where consumers are getting a raw deal is pay-TV. Ofcom have said they will consider whether to make it easier for customers to switch in…