Premier League sends TV Rights plan to EU
Televisionpoint.com Team
English soccer's Premier League sent the European Commission a new proposal Monday that it hopes will end a dispute over the way it sells television rights to live soccer games, reports say.
Premier League spokesman Dan Johnson said the League had replied to concerns EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes raised when she met league officials last week. "We have addressed the clarifications that she sought," he said.
Kroes' spokesman Jonathan Todd said she would analyze the letter carefully.
The European Commission warned earlier this month that it would charge the League with breaking EU antitrust law unless it made sure at least two broadcasters had access to broadcast rights.
Pay-TV station British Sky Broadcasting Group PLC owned by Australian-born media mogul Rupert Murdoch has held the exclusive rights to the richest broadcast contract in European sport for the past 13 years. The satellite broadcaster dominates Britain's pay-TV market with close to 8 million subscribers.
In December 2003, the EU Commission agreed to BSkyB's keeping its monopoly until 2007 on the conditions that the 2007-2010 contract would offer substantial packages to a second bidder.
The Commission wants the broadcast rights, which will be divided into several packages, to evenly distribute the League's most-watched matches, including those played by popular teams like Manchester United and London's Arsenal.
English soccer's Premier League sent the European Commission a new proposal Monday that it hopes will end a dispute over the way it sells television rights to live soccer games, reports say.
Premier League spokesman Dan Johnson said the League had replied to concerns EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes raised when she met league officials last week. "We have addressed the clarifications that she sought," he said.
Kroes' spokesman Jonathan Todd said she would analyze the letter carefully.
The European Commission warned earlier this month that it would charge the League with breaking EU antitrust law unless it made sure at least two broadcasters had access to broadcast rights.
Pay-TV station British Sky Broadcasting Group PLC owned by Australian-born media mogul Rupert Murdoch has held the exclusive rights to the richest broadcast contract in European sport for the past 13 years. The satellite broadcaster dominates Britain's pay-TV market with close to 8 million subscribers.
In December 2003, the EU Commission agreed to BSkyB's keeping its monopoly until 2007 on the conditions that the 2007-2010 contract would offer substantial packages to a second bidder.
The Commission wants the broadcast rights, which will be divided into several packages, to evenly distribute the League's most-watched matches, including those played by popular teams like Manchester United and London's Arsenal.
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