Deputy leader of the centre-left SDP, Sinisa Hajdas-Doncic, appeared on Tuesday on N1’s Live Studio programme to comment on the decision by A1 operator to stop airing United Media channels N1 and Sport Klub in Croatia.
Hajdas-Doncic served as Transport and Infrastructure Minister in the cabinet of Zoran Milanovic from 2012 to 2016.
“One of our ideas, which was sadly never implemented… is to build a state cable infrastructure, a primary infrastructure that would then be leased to all operators or commercial subject who wish to use the service, under identical conditions. We thought that would boost competition, get rid of the monopoly in Croatia… that is why we wanted to create a stable state network, but not have the state as the operator of commercial content, news or anything similar, but to have the state enable a larger number of business subject, under equal conditions for all, access so that the monopoly or duopoly that we’re seeing in Croatia now wouldn’t happen,” Hajdas-Doncic said.
“I always say that the only thing that’s worse from a state monopoly is a private monopoly which sadly, not only in Croatia but in some other EU member countries, is taking on the characteristics of a chaotic market. That is my clear response to this problem. The state would be the owner of primary infrastructure, and private operators can submit tenders and offer more content under the same conditions,” he said.
He added he was saddened to hear that N1 would no longer be on offer by the A1 operator.
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“You have basically remained the only independent channel. You don’t depend on large advertisement companies, i.e. on some market share in ads, but instead you’re trying to be independent, which means you’re a bother to those in power. You’re a bother to the people in power in Serbia, and you’re a bother to people in power in Croatia,” Hajdas-Doncic said.
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