A PYMNTS Company

Spain: Watchdog fears cartel practices within audiovisual industry

By  |  February 16, 2016

Spain’s Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia will strictly monitor the activity within the telecoms market, especially with regard to pay-TV and football broadcasting rights, in order to avoid cartel practices.

During 2015, the CNMC fined several companies with a total of €549 million for breaking the competition rules. Telefónica and Canal+’s DTS were fined €15.5 million with regard to football broadcasting rights, Mediaset paid €3 million for breaking the conditions after the Telecinco-Cuatro merger, and Atresmedia got a €2.8 million fine for not meeting requirements after the Antena 3-laSexta merger.

Since the CNMC became a single authority monitoring every market, fines for not maintaining competition and making unlawful agreements have rocketed. Indeed, 2015 closed with 93 files, while 2013 saw only 59.

According to the CNMC, these “cartel practices” have also increased since Spain’s financial situation started to improve after the crisis.

The country’s watchdog has stated it will “keep a very close eye on the activity within the telecom and pay-TV’s market, broadcasting rights business and the digital economy” during 2016.

Full content: Rapid TV News

Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.