The UK’s media regulator, Ofcom, has rejected an interim measure requested by UK telecommunications company BT to allow it to show pay-television broadcaster BSkyB’s Sky Sports channels on its new television service, according to The Telegraph newspaper.
The BT Sport service launched yesterday and Ofcom’s decision means that subscribers to BT’s YouView packages will not be able to watch Sky’s live televised English Premier League football games for the foreseeable future.
Ofcom in June launched an investigation into BSkyB over the wholesale supply of its sports channels following a complaint by BT.
Ofcom said that the investigation would look into BT’s claims that the terms under which Sky offered its main sports channels, Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 2, to BT’s YouView platform reflected an abuse of Sky's market dominance.
BT had applied to Ofcom to use its interim powers to force a deal before the start of the new Premier League season on August 17, but the regulator has ruled that it does not believe BT will be damaged enough to warrant emergency action.
Ofcom is set to make a full decision on the case in the coming months, but this verdict may not arrive until 2014.
“We are continuing with our investigation of BT’s complaint,” Ofcom said. “We expect to gather further information using our powers under the Competition Act 1998, and to analyse this information. We expect this initial analysis to inform consideration of whether and how to proceed further with the investigation, during autumn/winter 2013.”
BT and BSkyB have both refused to wholesale their sports channels to each other.