What is the Sky Guide fees row?
Latest news stories for the Sky Guide fees rowThe BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 pay Sky millions of Pounds a year to be listed in the Sky Guide and Sky On Demand catch-up section.
Since 2010, the BBC and Channel 4 have been campaigning to have the fees axed or even to be paid for the millions of viewers they bring to Sky.
Sky is reducing the fees by more than 60 per cent until 2014, but says it should be allowed to collect a fee for the service and the ongoing development of the Sky platform.
If the argument goes in favour of the BBC and Channel 4, which receive public funding, the commercial public service broadcasters ITV and Channel 5 are also likely to benefit.
Does this happen anywhere else?
In the USA, public TV networks such as CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox charge satellite and cable networks billions of dollars to carry their channels.
However, these ‘retransmission fees’ also cover the cost of being beamed to viewers’ homes via satellite or over the cable network.
In the UK, broadcasters have separate deals with satellite operators such as SES for the physical transmission of their signals.
Virgin Media is obliged to carry the four public service broadcasters for free over its cable network in the UK.
Latest news stories for the Sky Guide fees row
- Channel 5 owner calls for digital TV “level playing field”
- Sky must list BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 for free – or else!
- BBC threatens to bill Sky for showing its TV channels
- BBC, ITV and Channel 4: ‘Sky should pay to carry our channels’
- Ed Vaizey wants free access for BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5
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