FRANKFURT (AFX) - Germany's Federal Cartel Office said that cable television company Arena has not violated monopoly laws in obtaining exclusive live broadcasting rights for all German football matches over the next three years, the head of the cartel office, Ulf Boege told the Welt am Sonntag in an interview.
Arena, a subsidiary of Unity Media GmbH, surprisingly outbid rival Pay-TV station Premiere for the rights in December.
Arena may broadcast the games through one of the three cable providers that its parent company owns -- ish, iesy or tele columbus -- and may also sell the licensing to rival cable networks, television stations and even satellite networks, Boege said
There are enough opportunities for Arena to make use of the exclusive football television right without infringing on German anti-trust laws, continued Boege. Tyler.Sitte@afxnews.com ts/cml COPYRIGHT Copyright AFX News Limited 2005. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of AFX News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of AFX News. AFX News and AFX Financial News Logo are registered trademarks of AFX News Limited