The National Broadcasting Council has still not voted on the extension of the terrestrial license for TVN Siedem, which will expire in three months.

The spokeswoman of the National Broadcasting Council, Teresa Brykczyńska, laconically informs that the proceedings are pending. – There has not been a vote yet – says the spokeswoman.

I am waiting for the current information from the broadcasters requested by the chairman – states in turn a member of the National Broadcasting Council, Janusz Kawecki.

A month ago, the head of the National Council, Witold Kołodziejski, called on all media companies with Polish licenses to present their current ownership structure.

The current license for TVN Siedem is valid until February 25, 2022. – We applied for its extension on December 23, 2020. In a month’s time it will be a year since we are waiting for the decision of the National Broadcasting Council on the re-concession for this channel – says Katarzyna Issat, head of corporate communications at TVN Grupa Discovery.

According to the current legal status, this license should be extended. We have the same legal situation as with TVN 24 – no doubt Juliusz Braun, member of the National Media Council and former chairman of the National Broadcasting Council. “Perhaps the National Council is waiting for a change to the law or some decision of the Constitutional Tribunal,” Braun wonders. The National Broadcasting Council wants the Constitutional Tribunal to examine the provisions of the Broadcasting Act with the Polish Constitution .

According to the National Broadcasting Council, today the provisions of the RTV Act are being circumvented, because although TVN is formally owned by the Dutch company Polish Television Holding, it actually belongs to the American Discovery. The limit of shares of companies from outside the European Economic Area in companies with Polish concessions is 49%. However, the National Council extended it in September a few days before the expiry of the TVN 24 license . The sender waited 19 months for the decision.

TVN Siedem is one of the four – apart from TVN, Metro and TTV – terrestrial channels TVN Grupa Discovery. In October, he had 3.5 percent. market share in the general group and 4.78 percent. in a commercial group.

Source: PL Press