Press Release: Protection of pay-TV services: Europe-wide protection against conditional-access piracy still indispensable, says Commission report

In a changing market, it remains essential for the roll-out of pay-TV services that conditional-access systems be protected at European level against piracy. This was the verdict of a report published on 6 October, 2008, by the European Commission. Such protection is also a vital precondition for the growth of new content distribution services like video on demand, online products and mobile TV. To boost the effectiveness of the European Directive providing this protection, the Commission is setting up a group in which government experts can exchange information and good practice, and proposed that the EU ratify the Council of Europe’s European Convention on the Legal Protection of Services based on, or consisting of, Conditional Access. At the same time, the Commission bemoaned the sluggish growth of cross-border conditional-access services on offer and intends to put together a complete picture of the potential of cross-border markets, especially as many Europeans tend to move around the continent.