Danmarks Radio (DR) TV app and discrimination against suppliers

15.6.2016

Question for written answer E-004860-16
to the Commission
Rule 130
Morten Messerschmidt (ECR)

In Denmark, TV distributors are required to pay a retransmission fee for the distribution of free-to-air channels to their own end users, including the Danish public service broadcaster Danmarks Radio (DR). DR has concluded agreements with a number of foreign content and hardware suppliers, including Apple, Google, Sony and Samsung, on the embedding of DR's TV app. This distribution is on the basis of primary transmission. DR refused to make the TV app accessible on the TV box belonging to a Danish TV distributor on the grounds that the TV distributor charges its end users for making DR's TV app accessible. Embedding the app in the distributor's TV box would be comparable to the above solution, and so this would also count as primary distribution. However, DR does not want the distributor to be given the same rights.

Does the Commission take the view that it is compatible with EU competition rules for Danish TV distributors to be deprived of access to embedding the DR TV app in its TV boxes on the same terms and conditions as a number of foreign content and hardware suppliers, including Apple, Google, Sony and Samsung?

Does the Commission propose to introduce rules in this area to ensure more of a level playing field between traditional TV and broadband distributors and foreign content and hardware distributors?

How will the Commission ensure that this and similar obstacles in the Member States do not obstruct the EU's legislative work on promoting investment in faster broadband networks?