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Regulating the Retransmission Swamp

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Platform Power and Policy in Transforming Television Markets

Part of the book series: Palgrave Global Media Policy and Business ((GMPB))

Abstract

This chapter discusses traditional recipes that regulate the retransmission of television signals such as must-carry, copyright rules and price regulations. Policy revisions, amongst which the review of the SatCab Directive and pleas for the elaboration of the must-carry principle into a findability obligation upon distribution companies in a platform economy are addressed. The chapter assesses emerging policies including the legal protection of broadcasters’ signal and investment obligations on distribution companies. The focus is in the first instance on the fragmented European regulatory environment. Given the complexity and embeddedness of regulation, a perspective on more geographic areas is not possible. However, when relevant, reference is also made to the situation in the United States A case study sheds light on the legal and business issues of cloud recorders Aereo and Bhaalu, which were prohibited after infringing copyright regulations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. imec-mict, Department of Communication Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

    Tom Evens

  2. imec-SMIT, Department of Communication Sciences, Free University of Brussels, Brussels, Belgium

    Karen Donders

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  1. Tom Evens
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  2. Karen Donders
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Correspondence to Tom Evens .

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Evens, T., Donders, K. (2018). Regulating the Retransmission Swamp. In: Platform Power and Policy in Transforming Television Markets. Palgrave Global Media Policy and Business. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74246-5_6

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