Canal+/beIN Sports: Competition Authority will analyse the French market before allowing agreement

At the request of Vivendi, the French Competition Authority will soon launch (possibly in February 2016) a market test to probe the evolution of competition on the French market for pay-TV, according to information gathered by News Tank Football on 11/02/2016. This procedure will be conducted with different actors (rights holders, broadcasters, ISPs), and should last about 15 days.

A review of the French pay-TV market is necessary in order for the Competition Authority to lift all or part of the injunctions taken against Vivendi and the Groupe Canal Plus under the Ruling No 12-DCC-100 on 23/07/2012 relating to the exclusive control of TPS and Canal Satellite. These injunctions are valid for a period of five years (until 23/07/2017), and can be renewed once.

Within the Ruling, injunction 4 (a) instructs the Canal+ group to "resume offering any premium independant channel authorised in France, in the Canalsat package, or any offer that might replace or added to the Canalsat package on a non-exclusive basis". Vivendi wants this injunction to be lifted, so that Canalsat can exclusively…