Internet firms win the right to broadcast TV content

Internet service providers have won their battle with cable television networks, after senior figures in the government and broadcasting ruled that Internet providers can and should broadcast television content. The Information Ministry and Korean Broadcasting Committee signed an agreement yesterday morning to pursue trial services of Internet portal television, or IP-TV. The two groups said in a joint press release that they will each invest 600 million won ($622,000) and form a joint consortium on digital broadcasting. This committee aims to have a trial service running by November. The groups said they agreed to cooperate because despite Korea having one of the highest rates of broadband connection in the world, it has, because of objections from the broadcasting industry, been slow in converging broadcasting and telecommunications. Though the related laws are somewhat vaguely worded, cable broadcasters had been claiming that Internet service providers were proscribed from offering broadcast services. “This agreement opens the doors to true convergence between broadcasting and media,” said Lee Young-hee, media division head at KT. “We have invested extensively in the past three years to prepare for IP-TV but lack of laws have prevented us from beginning services.” by Wohn Dong-hee, Lee Weon-ho