Press Release: Commission closes investigation into contracts of six Hollywood studios with European pay-TVs

The European Commission decided on 26 October 2004 to close its investigation into the so-called Most Favoured Nation (MFN) clauses found in the contracts of the Hollywood film studios with a number of pay television companies in the European Union after the studios had decided to withdraw the clauses. The case remained open with regard to NBC Universal and Paramount Pictures Corp. Inc., that still hold on to them. The European Commission's competition services believed that these clauses had the effect of aligning the prices of the broadcasting rights bought by the television companies.