Kbro Co and TFN Media cable service subscribers are soon to be able to watch Chinese Television System (CTS) News and Info on channel 52 after the National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday approved their applications to change channel lineups following a nine-month review.
The commission approved applications filed by 20 cable system operators — 12 under Kbro, five under TFN media and three independent cable system operators — after evaluating the benefits to consumers, market competition, diversity of channels and other public interests, NCC Deputy Chairman and spokesman Wong Po-tsung (翁柏宗) told reporters at the commission’s weekly news conference in Taipei.
Cable operators are obligated to inform subscribers about the change by running a news ticker on the screen for five days after securing approval, the commission said, adding that CTS News and Info would become available on channel 52 by the end of the year.
Photo courtesy of Chinese Television System
The change would give CTS access to 73.31 percent of the nation’s cable service subscribers, the commission said.
A personnel shortage at CTS News was discovered earlier this year after it was fined NT$1 million (US$32,699) for erroneously running news tickers about an imminent Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
“We are conducting a midterm evaluation of CTS. Based on its written report, the terrestrial television network is planning to increase the number of employees from 360 to 400 next year. We will determine if the information is true when we conduct an on-site inspection next month,” said Chen Chin-shuan (陳金霜), a senior specialist at the Department of Broadcasting and Content.
CTS News and Info has been aired on channel 52 on 26 cable systems since the NCC granted approvals in June last year and March this year.
Cable system operators began proposing that channels be aired on channel 52 after CTi News, which previously occupied the spot, failed to secure a license renewal from the commission in November 2020.
Of 64 cable systems in Taiwan, 46 have CTS News on channel 52. Nine cable systems have applied to broadcast Taiwan Television on channel 52, but have yet to be approved.
Dafeng TV and Taiwan Broadband Communications have not proposed any channel to fill the vacant channel spots on their systems.
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