State-funded English-language streaming service TaiwanPlus is to start broadcasting on terrestrial television and through Chunghwa Telecom’s multimedia-on-demand service on Oct. 10 after its broadcast application was yesterday approved by the National Communications Commission (NCC).
The NCC assigned TaiwanPlus to use the frequency block between 542 megahertz (MHz) and 548MHz — designated for use by the Public Television Service’s (PTS) Channel 26.
NCC Department of Broadcasting and Content Affairs Director Huang Wen-che (黃文哲) said the PTS is negotiating with cable service operators about airing TaiwanPlus on cable.
The Ministry of Culture-funded streaming service was run by the Central News Agency before the PTS in June took over its management.
The application submitted to the NCC showed TaiwanPlus would operate based on the PTS’ management guidelines, the commission said.
“The English-language streaming service will feature news and documentaries, and aims to show the world that Taiwan, a country formed by immigrants, has a diverse, rich and unique culture,” the commission said.
The PTS hopes to expand Taiwan’s international news coverage, offer diverse programs and cultivate reporting talent.
The commission also approved the PTS’ proposed changes to the operations of Channel 26.
“The Public Television Service pledged to have a full-time executive director for the streaming service, recruit additional staff, offer training to employees and procure new equipment,” the NCC said.
The changes would not interfere with the broadcast of the PTS’ main channel and PTS Haklo.
Chen Chin-shuan (陳金霜), a senior specialist at the Department of Broadcasting and Content, said that the PTS plans to recruit 45 more staff for TaiwanPlus’ production team.
The network has pledged that at least 25 percent of TaiwanPlus programs would not have been aired before on another domestic terrestrial television channel, Chen said.
Content on TaiwanPlus would be created by the production team itself, Chen said, adding that the streaming service has an operational budget of NT$800 million (US$26.7 million) per year.
The operation of the streaming service came under scrutiny after lawmakers in March said that its app had only been downloaded 36,000 times after it was launched on Aug. 30 last year, reaching only 3 percent of its download target.
Monthly downloads have since March increased by about 2,000 per month, with 60 percent of new viewers being based in Taiwan.
More than half of TaiwanPlus Web site views were from Taiwan, the lawmakers said, adding that this limits the platform’s intended global reach.
The Ministry of Culture defended the streaming service.
Six months after its launch, TaiwanPlus reached 30 million people, drawing an average number of 136,000 visitors per day, it said.
The service is part of the ministry’s International Digital Communication project, which has a total funding of more than NT$5.8 billion over four years.
People from 129 countries watch TaiwanPlus, and its coverage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was quoted by Fox News.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or