SRG and Private secretly mobilize against Replay TV

As written on NZZ of Sunday in its current issue, the Interessengemeinschaft Radio und Fernsehen (IRF) is currently working on obtaining a parliamentary amendment rules of the TV Replay. A member of the National Telegraph Commission wants to propose the following change in the deliberations on the revision of the Telecommunications Act next week: Television program providers are now allowed to distribute these "only at the same time, unchanged and completely" . The viewer must now be provided "with the consent of the organizer, functions that allow him to use time-shifted programs."

"Return to the stone age of media consumption"

Consumer rights advocate Sara Stalder warns against plans. The fact that it was even discussed, was abstruse and meant a step back in the stone age of media consumption, she told NZZ am Sonntag . She fears a "massive increase" in prices. Consumers would have the right to private copying of copyrighted content "removed without substitution".

TV broadcaster's letter calls for rejection of proposal

Broadcasters, for whom the replay features represent a significant increase in customer value, are aware of these projects. Six of them – including Swisscom and UPC – call the commissioners in a letter to reject the proposal. Swisscom clearly opposes the proposed amendment to NZZ am Sonntag . According to spokesman Armin Schädeli, the advertising losses reported by broadcasters would have other reasons, if they were true.

The IRF, which is supposed to be behind the attack, shakes hands. It's not a matter of banning Replay TV, so general manager Andrea Werder – we welcome the user-friendly feature. However, broadcasters would require TV broadcasters (such as Swisscom, UPC, etc.) to agree with them on the conditions of TV Replay, as was the case in all European countries. Replay TV is responsible in Switzerland for income deficits threatening the existence. According to Werder, broadcasters should have escaped about 100 million francs in 2017 – while they were only compensated by 8.3 million francs. (AOH)