KBS 2 programs back to airing

By Kim Tae-jong

Cable TV operators and terrestrial broadcasters reached an agreement on retransmission fees Tuesday, allowing viewers to again watch KBS 2 programs.

The agreement put an end to years of conflict between the two sides. Before the agreement, cable TV operators refused to retransmit both digital and analog programs from KBS 2 for a second day Tuesday, causing a significant inconvenience to the nation's approximately 15 million cable TV subscribers.

An emergency council of cable TV operators said CJ Hello Vision first reached an agreement with three major terrestrial TV companies ― KBS, MBC, and SBS ― in negotiations over how much it should pay them to broadcast their programs.

Other cable TV system operators will reach an agreement with the terrestrial TV companies in a similar manner, the council said without revealing detailed conditions of the agreement.

"As CJ Hello Vision reached an agreement, other cable TV operators will take part in negotiations in a fair and sincere manner to come out with a reasonable result", an official from the council said.

Separate negotiations were suggested as a solution to narrowing the differences of all parties involved as each cable TV operator has different demands and conditions, he said.

With the agreement, cable TV operators resumed retransmitting programs from KBS 2, which they stopped since 3 p.m. Monday, at 7:00 p.m.

Citing fair negotiations between cable TV operators and terrestrial TV companies, the council refused to make public the agreed transmission fees.

Terrestrial broadcasters and cable TV stations have been in conflict over how much the latter should pay for airing public channel programs.

Before the agreement, broadcasters insisted that cable operators pay 280 won for each subscriber, stressing that cable operators should pay for airing their programs.

But cable stations were only willing to offer 100 won, saying they should be able to transmit terrestrial shows free of charge as the retransmission helps broadcasters reach a broader audience and boosts their advertising revenue.

In November, cable operators stopped the retransmission of HD programs of all three terrestrial broadcasters, forcing their subscribers to watch KBS, MBC and SBS programs only through SD channels.