EN Official Journal of the European Union C 44/14

Judgment of the Court (Fourth Chamber) of 22 December 2008 (reference for a preliminary ruling from the Verwaltungsgericht Hannover — Germany) — Kabel Deutschland Vertrieb und Service GmbH & Co. KG v Niedersächsische Landesmedienanstalt für privaten Rundfunk

(Case C-336/07) (1)

(Directive 2002/22/EC - Article 31(1) - Reasonable ‘must carry’ obligations - National law requiring analogue cable network operators to provide access to their cable networks to all television programmes allowed to be broadcast terrestrially - Principle of proportionality)

(2009/C 44/23)

Language of the case: German

Referring court

Verwaltungsgericht Hannover

Parties to the main proceedings

Applicant: Kabel Deutschland Vertrieb und Service GmbH & Co. KG

Defendant: Niedersächsische Landesmedienanstalt für privaten Rundfunk

Intervening parties: Norddeutscher Rundfunk, Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen, ARTE GEIE, Bloomberg LP, Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk, MTV Networks Germany GmbH, successor in law to VIVA Plus Fernsehen GmbH, VIVA Music Fernsehen GmbH & Co. KG, MTV Networks Germany GmbH, successor in law to MTV Networks GmbH & Co. oHG, Westdeutscher Rundfunk, RTL Television GmbH, RTL II Fernsehen GmbH & Co. KG, VOX Film und Fernseh-GmbH & Co. KG, RTL Disney Fernsehen GmbH & Co. KG, SAT. 1 Satelliten-Fernsehen GmbH and Others, Regio.TV GmbH, Eurosport SA, TM-TV GmbH & Co. KG, ONYX Television GmbH, Radio Bremen, Hessischer Rundfunk, Nederland 2, Hamburg 1 Fernsehen Beteiligungs GmbH & Co. KG, Turner Broadcasting System Deutschland GmbH, n-tv Nachrichtenfernsehen GmbH & Co. KG, Bayerischer Rundfunk, Deutsches Sportfernsehen GmbH, NBC Europe GmbH, BBC World, Mediendienst Borkum — Kurverwaltung NSHB Borkum GmbH, Friesischer Rundfunk GmbH, Home Shopping Europe GmbH & Co. KG, Euro News SA, Reise-TV GmbH & Co. KG, SKF Spielekanal Fernsehen GmbH, TV 5 Europe, DMAX TV GmbH & Co. KG, formerly XXP TV — Das Metropolenprogramm GmbH & Co. KG, RTL Shop GmbH

Re:

Reference for a preliminary ruling — Verwaltungsgericht Hannover — Interpretation of Article 31(1) of Directive 2002/22/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 March 2002 on universal service and users' rights relating to electronic communications networks and services (Universal Service Directive) (OJ 2002 L 108, p. 51) — National legislation which requires analogue cable network operators to provide access on their cable networks to all the television programmes approved for terrestrial broadcasting and provides that, in the event of a shortage of channels, the competent national authority has to establish an order of priority of applicants which results in full use of the channels available to the cable network operator concerned.

Operative part of the judgment

1. Article 31(1) of Directive 2002/22/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 March 2002 on universal service and users' rights relating to electronic communications networks and services (Universal Service Directive) is to be interpreted as meaning that it does not preclude national legislation, such as that at issue in the main proceedings, which requires a cable operator to provide access to its analogue cable network to television channels and services that are already being broadcast terrestrially, thereby resulting in the utilisation of more than half of the channels available on that network, and which provides, in the event of a shortage of channels available, for an order of priority of applicants which results in full utilisation of the channels available on that network, provided that those obligations do not give rise to unreasonable economic consequences, which is a matter for the national court to establish;

2. The concept of ‘television services’ within the meaning of Article 31(1) of Directive 2002/22 includes services of television broadcasters or providers of media services, such as teleshopping, provided that the conditions laid down in that provision are met, which is a matter for the national court to establish.

(1) OJ C 247, 20.10.2007.