French TV station TF1 to appeal court ruling in conflict with Canal+

PARIS (Reuters) -French TV station TF1 said it would appeal a court decision which ruled that Vivendi’s pay TV channel Canal+ is not obliged to restore the broadcasting of TF1 programmes on its satellite infrastructure.

The ruling is part of an ongoing conflict between the two television rivals over licencing rights.

TF1 said that since Sept. 2 Canal+ has stopped airing TF1’s free stations to its customers, including to 2 million households who receive them via the TNT SAT satellite service in remote areas where there is no other way of receiving TF1 stations.

“TF1 will appeal, a ruling should come soon,” TF1 said.

Canal+ said it ended its partnership with TF1, France’s largest television group controlled by Bouygues, because the price TF1 was asking for continuing to deliver its programmes was too high.

The move according to TF1 deprived millions of viewers of access to its channels.

Canal+ on Thursday welcomed the court ruling and added that it would resume airing TF1 stations to all its subscribers – including via TNT SAT – once TF1 allows it to do so for free.

(Reporting by Tassilo Hummel; Editing by GV De Clercq and Jonathan Oatis)