While Brussels deliberates and dithers over digital television – and there’s no point seeking to set standards unless the US and Japan are involved as well – most of the major German broadcasters are coming together to establish a multimedia joint venture, which would also agree common standards for digital television, Der Spiegel reports. It says talks took place last week between public broadcasters ARD and ZDF, Germany’s leading commercial broadcaster RTL and its parent company, Compagnie Luxembourgeoise de Telediffusion SA, Bertelsmann AG, France’s Canal Plus and Deutsche Telekom AG. The group wants to agree a standard for a television-top decoder that would enable viewers to receive around 200 channels, including pay television, tele-shopping and similar interactive services. The new alliance would replace the Media Service GmbH venture proposed by Bertelsmann, Telekom and Bavarian media tycoon Leo Kirch, but banned by the European Commission last year on competition grounds (CI No 2,541). The magazine said Kirch now planned his own multimedia venture, with pay and on-line services, and was talking with Time Warner Inc and Viacom Inc on content.
