Wizja protests TVP, Polsat ad refusals

The @Entertainment-owned company is claiming that the stations refused the lucrative advertising contracts, worth almost zl. 18 million ($5.14 million) combined, because they are participating in a competing digital platform. Polsat and TVP teamed up with Canal+ Polska, Aster City Cable and Nasza TV last fall to form the country's second digital platform, called Cyfra+.
By refusing the contracts, the two most widely watched stations limited Wizja's ability to promote its digital television package, it alleged. "Polsat and TVP have together some 89% of the television ad market here, with each of them having more than 40%," said Przemyslaw Szmyt, @Entertainment's deputy president. "Their refusal to buy Wizja's television spots with no alternative distribution channels has to be considered a monopolistic practice."
In a statement, Wizja said "it seems obvious that the reason for the refusal by TVP and Polsat ... is blocking the development of a competing enterprise." Wizja said that so far it had spent $16.5 million marketing its Wizja package. In addition, Szmyt said curently there is a zl. 16.5 million ($4.71 million) ad contract on the desk of TVP's ad division. A similar although more modest offer was made to Polsat, with which Wizja wanted to spend zl. 1.3 million ($371,000).
"But they did not want this money, and Polsat is a private station, but TVP is public, something to think about by all the people who pay taxes for public media," he said.