We’re losing viewers and a lot of money, says Sarah C. J. Welland, TV 2’s director of organization and communications, for Nettavisen.
You don’t want to give an exact number of how much money they’ve lost so far, but they’ve been without income from Telenor and lost advertising income for about eight weeks.
It was in early December that it became Breach in negotiations between TV 2 and TelenorAnd the screens went black for Telenor TV customers. This affects just over half a million Norwegian families.
I made people curse, and now people are tired of waiting for the solution.
On TV2’s Facebook page, there are many who are complaining.
– Now is the time to get a deal with Telenor! We pay for a service we don’t get! My complaint was sent to Telenor as well, one writes.
– Now you should come to an agreement with Telenor, and do not care too much about money and cents, another indicates.
– Why don’t you want to accept Telenor’s offer? This went on for two months soon. You must sharpen and accept the offer from Telenor, writes the third.
Were you affected by the TV 2 / Telenor conflict, and do you have any tips for us on the subject? Contact the journalist by e-mail: [email protected].
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Compete with international content
According to TV 2, the crux of the conflict is that Telenor is paying significantly less than other TV providers, such as Telia, Allente and RiksTV, and not as much as TV 2 thinks they need. An equally important point in the negotiations is how TV 2 content will be visible on Telenor’s platforms.
It’s about our future and the opportunity to invest in news, sports, documentaries like “Katastrofen Kielland,” programs like Farmen and Kompani Lauritzen, and other Norwegian content, says Welland.
It doesn’t help to invest in Norwegian content if no one has seen it. She explains that if we want to compete with streaming services like Netflix and HBO, it’s important that content is clearly visible in Telenor.
See the response from Telenor below in the issue.
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Welland says there is still dialogue between the two parties, but the distance is clearly still great. So it’s hard to predict how long it will take before they reach an agreement, or whether they will agree.
– We want long-term strategic cooperation, and then we rely on a sustainable agreement. Now that we’re into the seventh week of negotiations, Welland says, it says something about how important that is for TV 2, and he points out.
– It is important that we have an agreement that will allow us to survive in the future, and continue to create good Norwegian content and journalism for a small language area like Norway already.
– Disappointed
Willand says they’re sorry that viewers still can’t watch TV 2 on Line TV.
– It is a frustrating and difficult situation not to reach an agreement. I’m glad we had a dialogue and both sides want to try to agree. But she says that we wish we did not enter the eighth week and that the solution seemed closer than it is now.
– Can you indulge in something then?
– We are working on a solution. At the same time, it is difficult to understand why Telenor does not pay close to what the other pays. Welland says it’s not fair that they are such a top Norwegian player, with the state owning half.
She doesn’t want to make it clear how much Telenor pays less than other TV providers, apart from the fact that it’s a much lower issue.
Willand points out that many Telenor customers lack the freedom to choose another provider for their TV 2, because they live in housing associations and are restricted by a Telenor agreement.
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– What is a reasonable price
About half of Telenor TV’s customers live in housing associations, but Amalie Knudsen, Telenor’s director of information at TV, denies that they are restricted by agreement with them.
– It is not true that half of our customers are bound by agreement with us. Our housing association customers can choose between different products and agreements, and many housing association customers are not in a lockdown period, she said.
Knudsen adds that all co-owners and housing associations were awarded a cash compensation of NOK 50 per month per home, in addition to giving residents an additional 60 points for choosing additional content for nearly 150 channels and streaming services.
– TV 2 says it’s the price and resolution of TV2 content You must have Telenor Services that you do not agree to. Do you want to comment on that?
The disputes were mainly about the reasonable price for customers and distributors. No other content providers for Telenor T-We have a better agreement on visibility than what we offered TV 2. Knudsen responds that the agreement we’ve been working on for over half a year now will ensure TV 2 has the best distribution, best location and visibility in Telenor T-We, and a boosted investment significantly in future content.
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Have faith in agreement
Knudsen thinks they’ll agree to a reasonable price. However, Telenor doesn’t want an agreement where customers have to pay a higher price than before – without leaving more content for that.
– TV 2 says that you pay much less than others (Telia, Allente, RiksTV). Why don’t you want to stretch more?
– We note that TV 2 used the same argument when they negotiated with Telia. RiksTV is owned by TV 2 itself. TV 2 itself should document its payment claim, as we don’t have much insight into that. We are negotiating with TV 2 to find a win-win solution, she says.
Knutsen notes that Telenor is willing to pay more for TV 2 than before. This is for a long-term agreement that provides added value to customers, and supports the increased content costs of TV 2.
Knudsen says they’re sorry the negotiations are taking so long.
– We sincerely apologize to our customers, she says, who answer yes to the question of whether the dispute will be resolved.
Telenor encourages customers to go to My Pages to choose compensation, and Knudsen promises to inform customers as soon as there is a change in the situation.
Offer compensation to all clients
Knudsen did not respond to Nettavisen’s question if he had lost many customers as a result of the conflict with TV 2.
She says, however, that they understand very well that many clients are frustrated and their patience is running out.
We understand that this is a challenge for clients, residents and board leaders, and we want to thank them all for the patience they have shown in a difficult situation. Knudsen says we are negotiating with TV 2 and hope to find a solution soon.
As compensation for interruptions in negotiations, all customers receive an additional 60 points for viewing their content. Telenor customers who have a direct relationship with the customer can, alternatively, choose to receive a discount of NOK 100 for each month that begins on the bill.
– Housing associations and co-owners get a discount of NOK 50, – PR. Accommodation in agreement with the Chairman of the Board of Directors. She explains that the reason there are different solutions is that agreements have different terms.
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