Industry info...
British Digital Broadcasting Says BSkyB Writ 'Unfounded'
Dow Jones Newswires
LONDON -- British Digital Broadcasting Thursday said a writ issued by
British Sky Broadcasting Group PLC (BSY) to prevent it from selling the set top boxes needed to view digital television signals is unfounded.
'BSkyB claims that our set top boxes will not be interoperable with
theirs,' said Nigel Walmsley, director of BDB, an equal partnership
between Carlton Communications PLC (CCTVY) and Granada Group PLC (U.GAA). 'This claim is unfounded.'
Walmsley noted BDB's access system is provided by Seca, a company
that competes with NDS Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of News Corp.
(NWS). BSkyB is to operate its service using a rival box provided by
NDS.
'Seca already interoperates its system with others in Europe and do the same with BSkyB's system. All that is required is for BSkyB to agree to cooperate and finalize the technical arrangements,' Walmsley said. 'BSkyB should stop litigating and start cooperating.'
BSkyB wasn't immediately available for comment.
BDB's Walmsley said the group wants both its digital terrestrial signals and BSkyB's satellite signals to be available through one box.
'We believe consumers need only one set top box in order to watch
digital television,' he said. 'That is why we have chosen a system that can be inter-operable with BSkyB.'
BDB plans to launch at least 15 digital channels. It has placed orders for the set top boxes with six manufacturers, Grundig AG (G.GRD), Pace
Micro Technology PLC, Philips Electronics NV (N.PHI), Nokia OY (NOK), Sony Corp. (J.SNY) and Toshiba Corp. (U.TOS).
The boxes are designed to use Seca's conditional access system. Seca Is a partnership between Canal Plus SA (F.CLP), Europe's largest pay TV network operator, and Bertelsmann AG (G.BRT), Germany's largest
publishing and television group.
BDB has said it plans for the boxes to be in shops for the launch of digital television in the last quarter of this year.
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