E sccr/21/2 Original: English date: August , 2010 Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights Twenty First Session Geneva, November to 12, 2010

Implications of Cost Structures of Different Types of Broadcasting

148 Because it does not involve physical production and distribution, the cost structure of broadcasting is based on high fixed costs and low marginal costs, a condition that tends to promote monopolies in broadcasting.³⁸ This tendency toward ‘natural monopoly’ combined with constraints on spectrum and licenses was a rationale for creating broadcasting monopolies or near monopolies supported by public funds during the development of free to air broadcasting systems.³⁹

149 When commercial free-to-air broadcasting is involved, a somewhat larger range of opportunities exists for providing various types and quality of service, but there is nevertheless a tendency toward what one economist has called ‘natural oligopoly’.⁴⁰

150 Cablecasting/satellitecasting utilizes an infrastructure system with high fixed and rapidly declining marginal costs, which creates tendencies toward system monopoly. By offering space on the system for a larger number of cablecasters whose fixed costs are relatively low, a high degree of competition among content providers is promoted.⁴¹

151 As cable channels increase in number, they move from serving mass to niche audiences. This reduces economies of scale, lowers the efficiency frontier, and forces channels to seek efficiencies though technological and process innovations and consolidation.

152 Today there is increasing competition among cable, satellite, digital terrestrial TV, and broadband platforms to serve consumers and to provide desirable channels.⁴² This competition tends to lower the prices that consumers pay for services and channels⁴³ because they are reasonably substitutable products and demand tends to become elastic.⁴⁴

153 In the free-to-air environment—whether commercial or non-commercial—there is no consumer monetary price so issues of elasticity of demand do not apply.⁴⁵ When pay television or radio services are involved, consumer price elasticity becomes an issue and broadcasters cannot raise prices with impunity. Nevertheless, many factors other than price (including availability of free-to-air signals, desire for programming for children in the household, age, and education) affect demand for basic and premium cable services.⁴⁶

154 In order to operate, broadcasters and cablecasters must make basic investments in facilities, equipment, and programming and these are relatively fixed. These are compounded by high ‘first copy costs’ for programming.

155 These factors lead broadcasters and cablecasters to maximize their average income and average return per consumer and per program. This is complicated because the average revenue per viewer is relatively stable regardless of audience size, but program cost per viewer tends to rise with audience size because investments in higher quality offerings are required.

156 Premium programs—especially sports—are hotly contested among broadcasters/cablecasters and the market for rights is increasing dramatically. The high demand leads to auction-like behaviour in the acquisition of rights.⁴⁷ Prices paid are especially high because sporting events and championships can be seen as natural monopolies; thus broadcasters/cablecasters gaining rights become monopoly suppliers. In cases of pay television, the broadcaster/cablecaster passes the costs to consumers.⁴⁸

157 The fundamental economics of broadcasting create the conditions under which broadcasting and cablecasting organizations are affected by unauthorized uses. It is argued that unauthorized uses produce economic effects on current business operations, investment decisions, and profitability. However, unauthorized reception, decryption, fixation, and simultaneous or delayed retransmission do not in and of themselves create economic harm to broadcasters or rights holders; their effects are dependent upon the business model of the broadcasters, how signals are accessed, and whether they must bear additional costs to protect broadcasts and cablecasts through technology or private enforcement efforts.

158 The next three sections will explicate how and why unauthorized uses affect current operations, investment decisions, and profitability of broadcasters.