On 10/11/07, Brian Butterworth <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > But Sky are in a powerful position because they run the conditional access > system AND the EPG on satellite, which puts them in a very powerful > position... >
Sky's EPG is run by a separate company, albeit wholly Sky-owned. It is prohibited by law from charging different sums to different people for the same thing, and also prohibited by law from favouring one broadcaster over another within the EPG. Sky-owned channels have no "higher precedence" than non-Sky channels; and the rules for EPG placement are laid down by Ofcom. Sky don't allocate EPG numbers until right before a channel launch (much to my irritation in a previous life), but that's related to the onerous rules they run under. Similarly, Freesat, Freeview, and the Virgin Media EPG are all governed by similar rules. It's easy to point to Sky as being the big boogieman; but no, Sky aren't as powerful as you might think. //j
