Tue, Sep 15, 2015 page3

• Poll shows opposition to selling cable TV services to China-related interests

  • By Shelley Shan / Staff reporter
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  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.
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