21 March 2007
Ofcom has announced that it will be investigating the pay TV market following a submission from BT, Setanta, Top UP TV and Virgin Media.
The media regulator will be assessing the charge of whether BSkyB is blunting the competitive edge of the pay TV market.
Earlier this month, Virgin Media lost access to various BSkyB programmes, including Sky Sports News, Sky News and Sky Three, a move which raised concerns at Ofcom and the National Consumer Council (NCC).
Following the assessment, Ofcom will consider whether the issue needs to be referred to the Competition Commission.
A spokesperson for the NCC welcomed Ofcom's inquiry, saying: "Aspects of this market appear to be failing consumers and a thorough investigation is warranted."
BSkyB has also proposed to launch a new pay TV service which would be based on new set-top box specifications.
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