More than half of the respondents in a survey oppose the sale of cable television services owned by China Network Systems Co (CNS) to Taiwanese businesspeople in China, the Taiwan Digital Convergence Development Association said.
The poll by the association showed that 52.4 percent opposed the sale, while 34 percent supported it.
CNS has become the focus of public attention again after Far EasTone Telecommunications Co Ltd (FET), in a tie-up with Morgan Stanley Private Equity Asia, said last week that it would soon own a majority stake of the nation’s largest multiple-cable service operator via acquisition of corporate bonds to be issued by North Haven Private Equity Asia IV LP.
The transaction, which is to cost the nation’s third-largest telecom carrier NT$17.12 billion (US$523.2 million), has sparked calls for FET to clarify its investments in China and the source of its funding for the acquisition.
The same survey also found that 86.4 percent of people thought that Taiwanese media might be gradually owned by only a few media groups and 77 percent of respondents thought that the situation was getting serious. Meanwhile, 69.5 percent were concerned certain media groups would in the future have a monopoly on media outlets.
The results further showed that 62.4 percent of respondents were worried that China would try to influence public opinion in Taiwan through the acquisition of local media outlets by Taiwanese businesspeople in China, while 32.2 percent said it did not concern them.
Close to 57 percent said Taiwanese businesspeople should be banned from acquiring Taiwanese media outlets, whereas 31.1 percent said that the government should not interfere in business transactions.
The survey also found a change in public attitude toward investment in media outlets by political parties, the government and the military. Close to 55 percent support ownership of television channels by the government or political parties, while 37.5 percent opposed it.
In addition, 49 percent supported the abolition of the article in the three broadcasting acts on the restriction of investment by political parties, the government and the military, but 34 percent believe the article should not be removed.
The survey also found an improvement in public satisfaction with cable TV broadcast’s picture quality at 76.6 percent, compared with 69.3 percent in last year’s survey.
Despite the increase in satisfaction with picture quality, 65 percent complained that the program rerun rate was too high, while 52 percent said that the monthly cable TV fee was too expensive.
As the National Communications Commission had begun asking cable TV operators to offer different TV channel tiers so that consumers have more choices, 61 percent said that they supported a tiered scheme for cable TV, while 30.7 percent said they opposed it.
With the emergence of new cable TV operators in service areas that used to have only one cable operator, 69.5 percent said they considered changing the cable operators while 21 percent said they would not change.
LOW RISK: Most nations do not extradite people accused of political crimes, and the UN says extradition can only happen if the act is a crime in both countries, an official said China yesterday issued wanted notices for two Taiwanese influencers, accusing them of committing “separatist acts” by criticizing Beijing, amid broadening concerns over China’s state-directed transnational repression. The Quanzhou Public Security Bureau in a notice posted online said police are offering a reward of up to 25,000 yuan (US$3,523) for information that could contribute to the investigation or apprehension of pro-Taiwanese independence YouTuber Wen Tzu-yu (溫子渝),who is known as Pa Chiung (八炯) online, and rapper Chen Po-yuan (陳柏源). Wen and Chen are suspected of spreading content that supported secession from China, slandered Chinese policies that benefit Taiwanese and discrimination against Chinese spouses of
PROMOTION: Travelers who want a free stopover must book their flights with designated travel agents, such as Lion Travel, Holiday Tours, Cola Tour and Life Tours Air Canada yesterday said it is offering Taiwanese travelers who are headed to North America free stopovers if they transit though airports in Japan and South Korea. The promotion was launched in response to a potential rise in demand for flights to North America in June and July next year, when the US, Canada and Mexico are scheduled to jointly host the FIFA World Cup, Air Canada said. Air Canada offers services to 13 of the 16 host cities of the tournament’s soccer games, including Toronto and Vancouver; Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey in Mexico; Atlanta, Georgia; Boston; Dallas; Houston;
ALIGNED THINKING: Taiwan and Japan have a mutual interest in trade, culture and engineering, and can work together for stability, Cho Jung-tai said Taiwan and Japan are two like-minded countries willing to work together to form a “safety barrier” in the Indo-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday said at the opening ceremony of the 35th Taiwan-Japan Modern Engineering and Technology Symposium in Taipei. Taiwan and Japan are close geographically and closer emotionally, he added. Citing the overflowing of a barrier lake in the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) in September, Cho said the submersible water level sensors given by Japan during the disaster helped Taiwan monitor the lake’s water levels more accurately. Japan also provided a lot of vaccines early in the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,
The US approved the possible sale to Taiwan of fighter jet spare and repair parts for US$330 million, the Pentagon said late yesterday, marking the first such potential transaction since US President Donald Trump took office in January. "The proposed sale will improve the recipient's capability to meet current and future threats by maintaining the operational readiness of the recipient's fleet of F-16, C-130," and other aircraft, the Pentagon said in a statement. Trump previously said that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has told him he would not invade Taiwan while the Republican leader is in office. The announcement of the possible arms
RSS