COMCO: UPC abused ice hockey broadcasting rights
Bern, 20.10.2020 - The Competition Commission (COMCO) fines UPC by around CHF 30 million. In 2016, UPC acquired broadcasting rights for games of the Swiss Ice Hockey Championship. It refused to supply Swisscom with broadcasts of live ice hockey for years. This refusal is illegal under anti-trust law.
UPC acquired exclusive rights to broadcast matches from the Swiss Ice Hockey Championship for the years 2017 to 2022. As a result, it is dominant in the market for live broadcasting of ice hockey matches on pay TV.
UPC has abused this market dominance by refusing Swisscom any offer to broadcast live ice hockey until summer 2020. By this conduct, UPC has illegally impeded Swisscom in competition.
Already in May 2016, COMCO sanctioned Swisscom in an earlier procedure for similar conduct regarding the broadcast of live sports (football and ice hockey). COMCO thus confirms its position in the assessment of illegal refusals to supply.
An appeal against the decision of COMCO can be made to the Federal Administrative Court.
Address for enquiries
Andreas Heinemann
President
+41 78 842 96 01
andreas.heinemann@comco.admin.ch
Patrik Ducrey
Director
+41 58 462 20 41
+41 79 652 49 57
patrik.ducrey@comco.admin.ch
Carole Söhner-Bührer
Vice-Director
+41 58 464 96 69
carole.soehner@comco.admin.ch
Publisher
Competition Commission
http://www.weko.admin.ch/
