The European Commission invited interested parties to share their comments on Thursday 20 December on commitments offered by NBC Universal, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros and Sky to respond to the Commission's objections concerning contractual clauses preventing the cross-border provision of pay-TV services.
These commitments are a response to the Statement of Objections sent in July 2015 (see EUROPE 11365) by the Commission to Sky UK and six major US film studios (Disney, NBC Universal, Paramount Pictures, Sony, Twentieth Century Fox and Warner Bros). The US studios were accused of having concluded licensing agreements with the UK channel preventing them from offering EU consumers outside the British Isles access to pay-TV services available in the UK in Ireland.
In 2016, Paramount offered undertakings which were accepted by the Commission. The EU Court confirmed them on 12 December last.
In November this year, Disney also offered commitments, which the Commission is currently examining.
It is therefore today the commitments of three studios, as well as those of Sky, that are the subject of a stakeholder consultation. They have one month to do so.
Link to the commitments: https://bit.ly/1NEUoSz. (Original version in French by Lucas Tripoteau)