The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday extended to June the deadline for cable television companies to replace channels formerly operated by Walt Disney Co, citing a need for more market research.
Disney on Jan. 1 terminated broadcast on five channels as part of its pull-out from the Taiwanese cable television market, leaving vacancies that other firms cannot permanently fill without NCC approval.
The channels formerly operated by Disney were National Geographic, Star Channel Chinese, Star Channel Movies, Star Movies Gold and Star World.
Photo: Ting Yi, Taipei Times
While replacement channels are being aired, cable companies still need NCC authorization before permanently filling the slots, NCC Vice Chairman Wong Po-tsung (翁柏宗) said.
This involves submitting viewership and audience satisfaction data for the proposed substitutes, but companies are reporting that they do not have time to complete the latter, Wong said.
The deadline for renewing the license to broadcast on the channels was extended to June 30, with the condition that cable companies submit viewership and audience satisfaction data before the end of May, he said.
Companies had given the NCC viewership data and reported being unable to complete the market research to produce a reliable report on viewer satisfaction, Wong said.
South Korea-based KMTV Asia and Taiwan-based Catchplay Movie are the most commonly utilized substitutes for Star Channel Chinese and Star Channels among the nation’s 63 television cable companies.
These have sparked public discussion over the need to promote domestically produced Chinese-language content on channel 31, which was formerly used by Star Channel Chinese.
An NCC spokesperson said preliminary data showed that KMTV Asia’s satisfaction rate was about 61 percent across cable networks, while other replacement channels achieved satisfaction rates ranging from 65 to 90 percent.
The company that owns KMTV has said that it would produce locally made programs if enough cable systems adopted their channel to fund production, the spokesperson said.
The inspection equipment and data transmission system for new robotic dogs that Taipei is planning to use for sidewalk patrols were developed by a Taiwanese company, the city’s New Construction Office said today, dismissing concerns that the China-made robots could pose a security risk. The city is bringing in smart robotic dogs to help with sidewalk inspections, Taipei Deputy Mayor Lee Ssu-chuan (李四川) said on Facebook. Equipped with a panoramic surveillance system, the robots would be able to automatically flag problems and easily navigate narrow sidewalks, making inspections faster and more accurate, Lee said. By collecting more accurate data, they would help Taipei
STATS: Taiwan’s average life expectancy of 80.77 years was lower than that of Japan, Singapore and South Korea, but higher than in China, Malaysia and Indonesia Taiwan’s average life expectancy last year increased to 80.77 years, but was still not back to its pre-COVID-19 pandemic peak of 81.32 years in 2020, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. The average life expectancy last year increased the 0.54 years from 2023, the ministry said in a statement. For men and women, the average life expectancy last year was 77.42 years and 84.30 years respectively, up 0.48 years and 0.56 years from the previous year. Taiwan’s average life expectancy peaked at 81.32 years in 2020, as the nation was relatively unaffected by the pandemic that year. The metric
TAKING STOCK: The USMC is rebuilding a once-abandoned airfield in Palau to support large-scale ground operations as China’s missile range grows, Naval News reported The US Marine Corps (USMC) is considering new sites for stockpiling equipment in the West Pacific to harden military supply chains and enhance mobility across the Indo-Pacific region, US-based Naval News reported on Saturday. The proposed sites in Palau — one of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies — and Australia would enable a “rapid standup of stored equipment within a year” of the program’s approval, the report said, citing documents published by the USMC last month. In Palau, the service is rebuilding a formerly abandoned World War II-era airfield and establishing ancillary structures to support large-scale ground operations “as China’s missile range and magazine
Passengers on Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) will be required to use headphones and make phone calls in gangways under new “quiet travel” rules starting Sept. 22. THSR Chairman Shih Che (史哲) told media that THSR will run a three-month promotional campaign to ensure widespread adoption of the new rules. Those repeatedly ignoring the guidance face the potential termination of their transport contract, which can result in them getting escorted off the train, according to THSR. Shih shared his hope to cultivate an environment conducive to rest and reading for the train’s passengers, stating that these changes aim to “promote self-discipline” among passengers