Mediaset Says Court Rejects Sky Italia Requests In Milan Suit
ROME -(Dow Jones)- Italy's largest commercial broadcaster Mediaset SpA (MS.MI)
said Monday a Milan court has rejected the main requests brought by rival
satellite unit Sky Italia in a recent lawsuit on antitrust violation.
News Corp. (NWS) satellite unit Sky Italia filed the lawsuit in a Milan court,
accusing Mediaset of violating antitrust rules by refusing to sell Sky Italia
advertising on its free-to-air network.
In a statement, Mediaset said Friday the court had rejected Sky Italia's
damage requests and wouldn't force Mediaset to start running Sky Italia
advertising immediately.
The Italian broadcaster added, however, that the court had ruled that Mediaset
couldn't refuse to run Sky Italia advertising "with prejudice," in order to
favor its competing pay-TV offer, Mediaset Premium.
The ruling came as Sky Italia and the Italian broadcaster, which is owned by
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, battle for viewership and advertising
revenue in the country's increasingly competitive pay-TV market.
News Corp. owns Dow Jones & Co., publisher of this newswire.
-By Giada Zampano, Dow Jones Newswires; +39 06 69766925; giada.zampano@
dowjones.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
10-26-091002ET
Copyright (c) 2009 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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