Petition for a Free Market Satellite Pay-TV Services

craggers82

Will members please sign the petition for a free market of satellite pay-TV services. The more signatures and comments I have, the stronger the argument will be to help the cases pending in the European Court.

_http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/free-market-for-satellite-pay-tv-services.html

HB13DISH

Good idea, but I have my doubts if a petition would help.
We have over 137,000 members in all the forums here, and you would be lucky if more that 100 would sign.
Would you like to change this thread into a poll?
This way it will keep bouncing whenever a member fill in the form, otherwise it will die within few days.

craggers82

yeah thats a good idea. I just wanted to start something that may make the argument stronger and see how many people are in favour.

Robbo

I'm certainly in favour

HB13DISH

OK craggers82, I added a poll and changed the title slightly.
If you want to change the poll options or add more options, just let me know.
Good Luck.

Analoguesat

Im in favour of a free market but a petition is a waste of time.

Analoguesat's message to the world Analogue forever!

Low Profile

I'm against the idea, as I believe that it's in most people's interest that the grey market exists. If for example Sky had the Premier League broadcast rights for Spain - then it would be to the detriment of the Spanish broadcasters. Would you rather have Football locked to one (British) provider, or is in most peoples interest to have the grey choice?

Channel Hopper

If you have a S.k.y box (or a zone1 dish) then you are already locked into one provider for any pay tv service.

There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness"

Low Profile

That's simply not true. There are thousands of Europeans that have S.k.y boxes - that could subscribe to the provider(s) that cover their territory. If you effectively abolish the territorial broadcast rights then it's fair to assume that only one provider will secure the broadcast rights, my guess is that it would be the highest payers. The grey market allows for both S.k.y subscription (through a third party address), or subscription / access to territorial broadcasts. If a provider (such as AR.T) is granted broadcast rights for the UK then you can bet your bottom dollar that they will not be granted Premiership broadcast rights, and if that's the case then the only losers are those who currently use the alternative broadcasters.

Robbo

I would have thought that the majority of people would subscribe to their own local provider. It would be nice, if the territory limits still existed, but allowed for 'foreigners' to subscribe also, if they wanted to.

Turok

Hello!
the problem,are the coasts for the operator,to buy the right,and copright,to spread there programm,in other area,then the homecountry!
s*y for example,want also sell there programms official in cypress,but the coasts are so expensice for the rights,that this still not hapens!
so the bad guys,are not the pay tv operators alone,


there must be a consistently for all countrys the same!
a free market can never work,when copright area" laws" blocks everything!

Channel Hopper

Not with a s.k.y box, or a zone 1 dish

There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness"

Analoguesat

16 signatures - thats going to hold a lot of weight in the European Court

Analoguesat's message to the world Analogue forever!

djsimo

17 now, but 32 polled they would sign, think this needs to be added to more satellite forums!

dasteelman

I am not in favour for the following reasons:-

1) the current diversity of packages throughout Europe would dwindle.

2) There will be one sole Broadcaster that will buy everyone out. We know who that is.

3) Basicly the whole of Europe will eventually have one sole providor or maybe 2 at a push. Just like DishTV in the US, where the east coast have a certain subscription etc.

Nice but Dim

Benzade

I agree wholeheartedly in freedom of choice on the matter of who I choose to hand over my hard earned cash to, to supply my satellite broadcasts and invite into my home. But I don't believe petitions will make a jot of difference in the long term and here is why.

My interesting theory is anyone who has patched a receiver (myself included) or bought a dubious looking viewing card from "The man in the pub" or any other of the many ways that used to be available to the hobbyist in the past has helped, in a round about way to bring this now sorry state of affairs. Because it is invairably the smaller broadcasting companies that become victims due to restrictive investment on encryption which in some cases is broken soon after launch for, example ON/ITV Digital.

These companies either go bust because very few are legitimately subscribing to their services or become ripe for the picking when the mega bucks companies arrive with super encryption, restrictive receivers and all the rest of it promising investment and better services.

Even if the European Courts rule against the major broadcasters in the UK. Eventually there will be little choice anyway as the smaller companies become swallowed up by the larger ones. Typical example remember how we all enjoyed the fruits of "Premier" on patched receivers and cams before they went over to Nagra3?
This service will disappear this year and be re-branded as "Sky Deutschland"

It's true in the long run you reap what you sow ;-)