France's Competition Authority hits Orange's exclusive TV broadband deals

Orange's ambition to use exclusive TV content to retain and draw customers suffered a setback on Tuesday after France's Competition Authority, the country's competition watchdog, imposed a limit of one to two years on such offers. Orange has invested heavily in premium television series, films and League 1 soccer matches but the regulator recommended that it gave access to its content to a wider pool of customers than just its own existing broadband subscribers. The watchdog said the telecoms operator, part of France Telecom, should distribute its TV content to users of other platforms after an initial period of one to two years, threatening its closed-circuit business model. France Telecom shares closed down 2.05 percent.