National Broadcasting Council to Review License Renewal for Another TVN Channel Soon

Wirtualne Media | November 14, 2022

On June 23, the National Broadcasting Council received an application from TVN Warner Bros. Discovery to extend the license for the HGTV Polska satellite channel, which is broadcasted by the TVN company. The spokeswoman of the National Broadcasting Council, Teresa Brykczyńska, informs Wirtualnemedia.pl that “the matter will be considered at one of the next meetings.”

HGTV’s satellite and cable license end on June 26, 2023. Broadcasters wishing to continue broadcasting must apply for an extension one year before expiry. This is also the case with the thematic channel, which focuses on programs devoted to furnishing houses and gardens, and renovating, purchasing, and renting real estate. The station has been broadcasting in Poland since January 7, 2017, when it replaced TVN Meteo Active (previously TVN Meteo).

A quick decision of the National Broadcasting Council?

At what stage is the matter of the HGTV concession? – The concession procedure for the next 10 years for the HGTV program is pending. The case will be considered at one of the next meetings – said Teresa Brykczyńska, spokeswoman for the National Broadcasting Council, Wirtualnemedia.pl. It does not reveal whether the Council asked the sender for additional documents or clarifications.

October 10 this year. Maciej Świrski became the chairman of the National Broadcasting Council, who in the past strongly criticized, inter alia, TVN. The waiting time for the extension of the license in the regulator’s previous term varied. TV Trwam was expecting six months, while TVN24 – 19 months.

TVN’s licensing problems

In the case of the license for the satellite and cable channel TVN24 and the terrestrial TVN7 channel, the Council could not reach an agreement. It follows from the Broadcasting Act that only stations whose owners are located in the European Economic Area may be licensed. The owner of TVN met this criterion, being registered in Amsterdam. Polish Television Holding, however, belonged to the American concern Discovery. From August this year. the formal owner of TVN is Discovery Communications Benelux.

During the dispute over the extension of the license, TVN24 and TVN7 applied for and obtained Dutch licenses. However, there was no need to use them because, at the last moment, the National Broadcasting Council extended the licenses of both stations. In the summer, the Voivodship Administrative Court ruled that in the case of the license extension process for the news channel, the authority was inactive. The Council is appealing against this judgment.

The TVN license ends on April 14, 2024, and the Metro channel on December 28, 2025. These are terrestrial channels, so they cannot broadcast on multiplexes under Dutch licenses. Satellite and cable stations are in a better position: TVN International (February 2, 2024), TVN Style (July 28, 2024), TVN Turbo (February 2, 2024), TVN International Extra (January 22, 2025), TVN Fabuła (March 15, 2025) and TVN International West (May 5, 2028). If the Council did not grant them a Polish license, they could be broadcast on cable networks and on digital platforms on a Dutch basis.