Ono, R, Telecable and Euskaltel, which reproduce from January 20 new digital channels, affirm that the free use is based on the character of public service of the television. They say that, if they have to pay, they will remove the TDT of his offer.

The broadcasters who began to express 20 channels as the new technology of terrestrial digital television (TDT) on November 30 of last year they do not want to transfer free his signs so that they are included in the platforms of multimedia services of the operators of cable. For his part the companies of cable support that, not only they have the right, but also the obligation to use free the above mentioned signs, seeking protection in the criterion of which it is a question of contents that keep on having the consideration of public service.

Radio Spanish Television (RTVE) has been the first one of the broadcasters in speaking to the cable operators to raise the demand of which they must pay a quantity if they want to keep on including in his multimedia programmings five channels of TDT that spreads the public entity.

Sources near to this public enterprise defend his position with the argument that the cable operators receive from each of his clients a quantity for gaining access to his offers of television programs that, to today, it overcomes 60 channels in all the cases. To his judgment, it is not reasonable that RTVE has to transfer free a few contents that later are commercialized by the cableoperadores with the consequent benefits. The cableoperadores use his television programmings as one of the fundamental paws of the called triple play, that shapes the base of his offer, along with the Internet services and those of telephony.

Other private broadcasters who prepare 15 remaining programs of terrestrial digital television at national level, Antenna 3, TV 5, Sogecable, I See and Net, they endorse in general the RTVE position, although some with major intensity that others.

Sources near to Ono and to R they have admitted that the public entity has spoken to them with the intention of opening negotiations in order to that they pay a quantity not specified by the use of his channels of digital television. Ono is the principal national cableoperador, and after the acquisition of his competitor Auna, he relies on with approximately 850.000 hearths with aptitude to gain access to the TDT. For his part, R is the cable operator with presence in the Galician autonomous region and it is provided with 190.000 hearths with possibility of gaining access to the new terrestrial digital television.

In a recent meeting supported by four operators of cable who exist in Spain, Ono, R, Euskaltel and Telecable, they all agreed in that he would refuse to pay any price for spreading the channels of the TDT. The position that they will adopt in case the situation takes to the end will be to raise 20 signs of the digital television of his platforms.

The companies of cable defend his rights seeking protection in the normative beginning that is known like must carry. According to this beginning, not only they have the right, but also the obligation to reproduce the channels of the TDT in his platforms of services of television. In fact, tell the said sources, when there took place the relaunch of the services of digital television in Spain last November 30, 2005, the holders of this emission transferred the signs like a cableoperadores and they all to today include in his offers 20 channels of the TDT of national ambience.

The conflict that appears will have to be dissolved by the Government, who must determine if the reproduction of the digital channels as the cableoperadores has character of public service and, therefore, they must be transferred free or if, on the contrary, there are a definitely commercial product.


Hide-and-seek

Ono has placed 20 signs of TDT in his programming in a numeration of the control that places over the channel 900. In such a place they are difficult to syntonize, unless one happens to the programming key backwards from the channel.


To lose 1,3 million clients

In case the cable operators decide to stop expressing the signs of the TDT the new standard of the television so zealously impelled by the Government will receive a serious mishap. According to numbers facilitated recently by the Department of Industry, in Spain there existed on last January 31 2,5 million hearths that were having chance of gaining access to the TDT. Of them, 1,1 millions were equipped with decoders to re-turn the conventional TV sets; 1,3 millions gain access to the TDT across the cable and 250.000 are paid to the service of Phone companhy named Imagenio.

In contacts supported recently with some broadcasters, the cableoperadores they have tried to convince them that almost half of the hearths that today have access to the TDT obtain it across his networks. Also, they affirm, the clients of cable have a major purchasing power than the rest.
Also, these representatives of the spectators question also in a bulletin if The Sixth one, for his recent appearance, possesses the experience adapted to express with the quality necessary for a sports event of similar importance.


(CincoDías, 31/03/06)