Cartel office probing ARD ZDF catch-up service


Germany’s Federal Cartel Office is probing the country’s public broadcaster’s plan to launch an online catch-up service.

ARD and ZDF want to launch a video-on-demand catch-up platform under the Germany’s Gold moniker and the Cartel Office will assess whether it adversely impacts competition in this market segment. The same body has already investigated and blocked plans for similar services from commercial broadcasters RTL and ProSiebenSat.1 on the basis that it would give them too much control of the advertising market.