This statement concludes Ofcom's consideration of Sky and Arqiva's "Picnic" proposition for a pay television service on digital terrestrial television (DTT). This involves Sky replacing its existing free to air (FTA) channels on DTT with pay TV channels, including Sky Sports 1 and Sky Movies Screen 1.
We want consumers on DTT to have access to premium sports and movies content. However, there are greater benefits if this happens in a way that ensures fair and effective competition, so that consumers have more choice in the TV packages they subscribe to, including lower-priced entry-level bundles, and with greater prospects for innovation in the longer term.
Having considered the responses to consultation, we have decided to consent to the proposal, subject to the wholesale must-offer remedy set out in our Pay TV Statement being in place, and evidence that it has been implemented effectively. Under this remedy, Sky is required to offer the sports channel it proposes to retail on DTT - Sky Sports 1 - to other retailers of pay TV services.
