Tele Columbus strikes deal with ARD

German cable operator Tele Columbus has struck an agreement with public broadcaster ARD covering the redistribution of all the pubcaster’s TV and radio channels along with digital services.

It said that the deal regulates the coverage and distribution of services on a “legally secure basis”.

Tele Columbus said that the agreement was the result of a “constructive and intensive negotiation process”.

“We are pleased that the intensive discussions have found a positive conclusion with this agreement and that the conditions for the distribution of programs in our networks are regulated in a legally secure manner. It should be particularly emphasized that, in addition to the diverse and attractive content of ARD, we will also be able to provide our customers with additional multimedia offers for time-critical use in the future,” said Stefan Riedel, chief consumer officer of Tele Columbus.

Jens-Ole Schröder, legal director of regional ARD affiliate Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk and responsible for the talks for ARD, said: “With this agreement, ARD and Tele Columbus have created a reliable basis for good cooperation, with which the ARD offers will be available in the future under optimal conditions on the network used and distributed by the Tele Columbus Group. The agreement creates clarity and certainty in this respect.”