It is hard not to feel a twinge of sympathy for BSkyB. The UK satellite broadcaster argues that Friday’s proposal by Ofcom to force it to offer its premium sports and film content to competitors such as BT and Virgin Media at set prices amounts to punishing success.

Sky emerged as a broadcasting powerhouse over the past two decades because it risked billions to acquire the rights to content such as Premier League football. It has since wielded those rights to good effect, using its superior programming to build its retail subscriber base and keep lesser rivals, such as the now-defunct Setanta, at bay.