Photo: Adam Kliczek, http://zatrzymujeczas.pl
In a statement, it says that despite having just received a licence from the Dutch regulator, TVN7 applied for a licence extension to the KRRiT over a year ago and has yet to receive one. It adds: “Pursuant to Polish law, it is not possible to broadcast a terrestrial channel based on a foreign licence. The channel broadcast under the Dutch licence may be available only to some viewers using the services of cable and satellite operators. For a large part of viewers, this will mean the need to incur costs to access TVN7. If the Polish licence is not extended on the current terms, it will mean the end of TVN7 broadcasting in its current form and the loss of space on the MUX-2 multiplex”.
TVN Discovery Group continues: “This is an unprecedented situation – so far there has been no case in which the KRRiT has not extended an existing terrestrial licence. The failure to grant the Polish licence by the KRRiT primarily affects viewers, depriving them of the most popular entertainment channel, which is chosen by millions of Poles every day. Nearly 30% of viewers watch it on terrestrial TV, which is completely free”.
TVN Discovery Group concludes by saying that it will take all available legal action if not granted a licence extension.
It also says that failure to grant a licence extension will violate a treaty on trade and economic relations between Poland and the US that Polish President Andrzej Duda referred to when he vetoed the so-called ‘Lex TVN’ that would have resulted in Discovery having to exit the Polish market.
