Dutch TV detente
Media minister backs plan on pay services
Media minister Rick Van der Ploeg has agreed to abandon his opposition to a plan by Dutch cablers to scramble all commercial channels so that they may be viewed only with a decoder.
In a committee session in the Dutch Parliament on Thursday, Van der Ploeg agreed to a proposal to put all public broadcasters in a basic package, and all commercial channels in a so-called plus package requiring a decoder.
Holland is 94% cabled and with rates tied to utilities, viewers traditionally have paid the lowest rates in Europe -- about 21 guilders ($10.50) a month for 30 channels.
'A lot more money'
Frans Nyhof, a spokesman for cable umbrella group the VECAI, said cable companies "wouldn't necessarily make a lot more money with commercial channels being scrambled. But once the decoder is introduced, it would be easier to offer Internet, pay-per-view and other services which would bring on new streams of revenue."
Under the new plan, viewers who wanted to receive only public broadcasters would get 15 channels, including Dutch and other pubcasters from neighboring territories, for a basic package of $7.50 a month. Viewers who also wanted commercial nets would continue to pay around $10.50 a month for a plus package, and $1.50 for rental of a decoder.
