Joint Selling of Football Broadcasting Rights in Europe, a Friend Or Foe of the Principle of Fair Play?

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Joint Selling of Football Broadcasting Rights in Europe, a Friend Or Foe of the Principle of Fair Play? Joint selling of football broadcasting rights in Europe, a friend or foe of the principle of Fair Play? Lapin Yliopisto - University of Lapland Oikeustieteiden tiedekunta – Faculty of Law Eurooppaoikeus, Kilpailuoikeus – European Law, Competition law Pro Gradu –tutkielma - Master’s Thesis 1.4.2010 Antti Husa (14077) Lapin Yliopisto, oikeustieteiden tiedekunta Työn nimi: Joint selling of football broadcasting rights in Europe, a friend or foe of the principle of Fair Play? Tekijä: Antti Matias Husa Oppiaine: Eurooppaoikeus Työn laji: Maisteritutkielma X Lisensiaattitutkimus __ Sivumäärä: XXIII + 1 + 79 = 103 sivua Vuosi: Kevät 2010 Tiivistelmä: Tutkielman tavoitteena on löytää käyttökelpoinen ratkaisumalli eurooppalaisen jalkapal- loilun tulonjakoon seurojen välillä. Lähtökohtaisena ongelmana on tulojen epätasainen jakautuminen eurooppalaisten jalkapalloseurojen välillä, joka aiheuttaa taloudellista eriarvoisuutta sekä kansallisten sarjojen välillä, että kansallisten sarjojen joukkueiden välillä. Ongelman aiheuttajaksi tutkielma tunnistaa Euroopan Komission poikkeusluvan nojalla sallimat jalkapalloliigojen yhteismyyntijärjestelyt, jotka ovat luonteeltaan kartel- leja, mutta jotka Komissio on sallinut Euroopan Unionin toiminnasta annetun sopimuk- sen 101 (3) artiklan nojalla. Ensimmäiseksi tutkielma selvittää urheilun erityisasemaa Euroopan Unionin oikeusjär- jestelmässä pureutumalla asiaan sekä primaarioikeuden, asiaan liittyvien soft law - työkaluihin sekä eurooppalaisen urheilujärjestelmän erikoisuuksiin verraten sitä esimer- kiksi amerikkalaiseen urheilujärjestelmään. Lisäksi se analysoi urheiluun liittyvää uutta Euroopan Unionin toiminnasta annetun sopimuksen 165 artiklaa sekä arvioi urheilun tulevaisuutta Euroopan Unionin sääntelyjärjestelmässä. Tämän jälkeen tutkielma tarkastelee urheiluliigojen televisiointioikeuksien yhteismyyn- tiä kilpailuoikeuden näkökulmasta. Tutkimuksen kohteena ovat erityisesti jalkapallon televisiointioikeuksien yhteismyyntiä koskevat Komission päätökset. Tutkielma tarkas- telee jalkapalloliigojen yhteismyynnin markkinamäärittelyä, sen suhdetta Euroopan Unionin toiminnasta annetun sopimuksen 101 (1) artiklaan sekä komission poikkeus- päätösten perustana olevaa Euroopan Unionin toiminnasta annetun sopimuksen 101 (3) artiklaa. Lisäksi se arvioi urheilun erityisiä ominaisuuksia, jotka on otettava huomioon kilpailuoikeudellisessa arvioinnissa. Viimeisessä osassa tutkielma tekee johtopäätökset nykytilanteesta sekä antaa kaksi vaihtoehtoista ratkaisumallia tulevaisuutta varten jalkapalloilun televisiointioikeuksien myynnin, jalkapalloilun merkityksellisien markkinoiden sekä eurooppalaisen urheilun mallin näkökulmista. Avainsanat: Kilpailuoikeus, Eurooppaoikeus, Jalkapallo, Määräävä markkina-asema, Urheilun erityisasema, Televisiointioikeuksien yhteismyynti. Muita tietoja: Suostun tutkielman luovuttamiseen Rovaniemen hovioikeuden käyttöön X Suostun tutkielman luovuttamiseen kirjastossa käytettäväksi X Suostun tutkielman luovuttamiseen Lapin maakuntakirjastossa käytettäväksi X I Table of contents Table of contents .................................................................................................................. II Bibliography ......................................................................................................................... IV Abbreviations ...................................................................................................................XXII 1. Introduction of the subject matter and outlining the topic................................1 1.1 Television Revenues in football......................................................................................... 1 1.2 Principle of Fair Play in football and in the European competition law .............. 3 1.3 EU sports policies.................................................................................................................... 5 1.4 Outlining the topic of the dissertation............................................................................. 7 2. Special status of sport in European law ................................................................. 10 2.1 Special status of sport in the European legal system................................................10 2.2 The European Model of sport ...........................................................................................11 2.3 Formulating a European sports policy ..........................................................................12 2.3.1 Early landmark decisions of the ECJ before Meca‐Medina ...................................................... 12 2.3.2 Primary legislation and sport before the TFEU............................................................................ 15 2.3.3 Helsinki report on sport 1999.............................................................................................................. 16 2.3.4 Meca‐Medina decision, a new direction?......................................................................................... 18 2.3.5 The Independent European sports review 2006......................................................................... 23 2.3.6 The White paper on sport 2007 .......................................................................................................... 25 2.4 Sport in EU today and future direction..........................................................................27 2.4.1 Direct effect of sport................................................................................................................................. 29 2.4.2 Indirect effect of sport ............................................................................................................................. 31 2.5 Conclusion ­ some future considerations about European sport .........................33 2.5.1 Demise of European model of sport? ................................................................................................ 33 2.5.2 Position of football .................................................................................................................................... 34 3. Joint selling arrangements of broadcasting rights in the scope of EU Competition law.................................................................................................................. 36 3.1 Key concepts and their influence to European football...........................................36 3.1.1 Joint selling arrangements..................................................................................................................... 36 3.1.2 Exclusivity..................................................................................................................................................... 37 3.1.3 Influence of collective selling arrangements and exclusivity ................................................. 38 II 3.2 Market definition and relevant market ........................................................................40 3.2.1 Market definition as a prerequisite for further analysis........................................................... 40 3.2.2 Aims and tools of market definition .................................................................................................. 41 3.2.3 Basic principles for market definition .............................................................................................. 42 3.2.4 Product market definition and its segmentation ......................................................................... 44 3.2.5 Geographic market definition............................................................................................................... 45 3.2.6 Temporal market ....................................................................................................................................... 46 3.3 Some peculiarities of sports market and economics................................................47 3.3.1 Mutual interdependence......................................................................................................................... 48 3.3.2 Competitive balance ................................................................................................................................. 48 3.3.3 Uncertainty of outcome........................................................................................................................... 50 3.3.4 Utility maximisation instead of profit maximisation.................................................................. 51 3.4 Article 101(1) TFEU and joint selling.............................................................................52 3.4.1 Price fixing .................................................................................................................................................... 53 3.4.2 Market closure ............................................................................................................................................ 54 3.4.3 Limitations of markets or production............................................................................................... 55 3.5 Exemptions under Article 101(3) TFEU ........................................................................57 3.5.1 Improvement in the production or distribution of goods or in technical and economical process.............................................................................................................................................. 59 3.5.2 Fair share for consumers.......................................................................................................................
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