“We have not found an agreement on the conditions of distribution of these local channels, but Orange remains open to discussion”, indicated the operator.
The ten local BFM channels not distributed by Orange are BFM Marseille, BFM Nice Côte d’Azur, BFM Toulon Var, BFM Lyon, BFM Paris Ile de France, BFM Grand Lille, BFM Grand Littoral, BFM D’Ici Alpes du Sud, BFM from Here Haute Provence, LCN (La Chaîne Normande).
Not the first time
Orange, on the other hand, still broadcasts the national Altice channels on its boxes. The disagreement between Orange and Altice media, the parent company of BFM, is a new episode in a recurring conflict between internet service providers and television channels.
In 2018, TF1 was the first channel to request compensation from box providers for the broadcast of its content. TF1 had suspended for a few weeks its replay service on Orange boxes, before an agreement was finally reached.
In general, telecom operators refuse to pay for content broadcast on DTT, but may agree to pay for additional services such as catch-up (“replay”) or the provision of additional content. The question comes up every time contracts have to be renegotiated. Altice believes that it has considerably beefed up its program and service offering since the previous rounds of discussions.