Spain’s Supreme Court to decide if DTT licences are legal

Iñaki Ferreras | 19-10-2012

Spain’s Supreme Court is expected to decide in November on the legality of the method used by the Government to grant digital terrestrial television (DTT) licences to existing channels.

There has been an appeal against the decision of Council of Ministers of 16 July 2010 to license these channels, specifically the authorisation of up to four channels without going through the public bidding process. Licences were granted to Antena 3, Gestevisión Telecinco, Sogecable, Veo TV, NET TV and laSexta.

In 2009, the applicant complained that no new licenses had been awarded through a public tender, as established in the Private Television Act of 1988.

Until then "all traditional channels" were awarded by public tender and "transparent criteria," said Ignacio Sanchez, spokesman for the applicant who also dismissed the “subgéneris criteria" used by the Administration to grant the DTT licences.