Re: Trying to relate this to the UK
It was originally, as far as I remember, the intenton of the EU to have a common platform, but the whole thing kind of lost steam when it came to the "added value" elements such as EPGs, conditional access, interactive services.
There isn't any technical reason why Sky couldn't use a standard CAM for encryption - and you could get "unofficial" third party solutions that would work with Sky viewing cards for a short while until Sky closed that particular loophole. However, given the constant battle with hackers, I suspect Sky feels its security is better maintained by keeping everything inside its own box. They also value the fact that the user interface for customers is universal and under their control: I think they generally score pretty highly for usability.
As you say, in the UK, the range of FTA channels means that the pay TV market has to be attractive to new customers and high standing charges (eg for box rental) simply deter people who have an alternative.
I think it's more of an issue that the people who own the UK broadcast platforms are also program suppliers: I don't personally think this is in the interests of consumers as it leads to what one might charitably call conflicts of interest.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
