Canal Plus Blocked From Some Broadcast Rights

Canal Plus must stop buying exclusive broadcast rights to recent French films to air on a pay-per-view basis until France’s competition regulator decides whether the practice is unfair, the regulator said.

The Conseil de la Concurrence imposed the measure on Canal Plus and its Kiosque unit after an initial inquiry prompted by complaints from two rivals, Multivision, a TV operator, and Television Par Satellite, France’s No. 2 digital-satellite TV service. Canal Plus is the pay-television unit of Vivendi Universal. The regulator said Kiosque’s practice of locking up the exclusive rights to French films for two years raises concerns.