Spanish FTA networks call for ad restrictions for pay-TV providers


Details

Juan Fernandez Gonzalez

| 11 January 2016




Spain's free-to-air (FTA) networks are asking the country’s government to limit pay-TV access to advertising.



UTECA, the organisation representing private FTA networks, said the current audiovisual and advertising rules need to be reviewed: “With the arrival of new players directly competing with DTT networks for audience, content and advertising, it seems reasonable to review the rules applying to these new operators.”

UTECA has referred to the various conditions that are imposed on FTA networks when it comes to acquiring content and, specifically, advertising, as they have, for instance, limits on advertising time.

The same rules don't apply to pay-TV operators, who can therefore offer better conditions to advertisers. In addition, the pay-TV audience has rocketed over the past year, and cable, IPTV and satellite operators gather, on average, over 6.5 million viewers per day and nearly a 7% audience share.

“Free-to-air TV is at the centre of Spain's audiovisual industry, generating more than €5.5 billion per year and employing almost 80,000 people,” the association said, highlighting the importance of the country’s FTA networks.

UTECA believes most of the issues could be solved through a new audiovisual law, as the current one, dating from 2010, is now too old, it says, and has been unable to guarantee stability within the industry.