Taiwan’s government communications regulator says it is not facing political pressure to move a pro-opposition TV channel onto a new channel number.
That’s after several cable TV operators applied to the National Communications Commission to give the channel number for TVBS to a different news provider.
The operators say TVBS’ parent company has raised its prices for broadcast. They also say TVBS’ live YouTube broadcasts are affecting their profits.
Critics of the channel number change say it amounts to government censorship, because TVBS is seen to lean favorably towards Taiwan’s main opposition party, the Kuomintang. The news channel that would replace it, Mirror TV, is considered more pro-government.
The National Communications Commission, which is part of the government, says it is not under political pressure to change TVBS’ channel number. It says it will take into account the media landscape, the diversity of Taiwan’s channel offerings and consumers’ rights before making its decision.
