In early February, Ofcom revoked the broadcasting license of China Global Television Network (CGTN) on the grounds that it was controlled by the Chinese Communist Party. But the French media authority, the Conseil supérieur de l’audiovisuel (CSA), announced Wednesday that it had approved CGTN’s application for a broadcasting license. This means CGTN will be able to continue broadcasting in European countries, including the United Kingdom.
CGTN began applying to France’s Conseil supérieur de l’audiovisuel in December, hoping that the CSA would legally recognize its eligibility to broadcast. According to French regulations, broadcast content is not a censorship item; media organizations can obtain a broadcast license if they meet two technical conditions. The first is that it must be broadcast via French satellite, known as Eutelsat, and the second is that it must send its signal from France. A review by France’s Supreme Audiovisual Council on Wednesday confirmed that CGTN met these conditions and therefore approved its broadcast status.
In a press release issued after the meeting, France’s Conseil supérieur de l’audiovisuel said that “as a result of Brexit and the withdrawal of CGTN’s license by Ofcom under British law, the head of CGTN approached the Commission to certify that its broadcasts complied with European law and French norms. The French Supreme Council of Audiovisuals approved.”
“French law does not require prior authorization for non-European channels to be broadcast; as long as they are broadcast on French satellites and have the right to broadcast in France, they are free to broadcast without prior verification”.
However, because of the controversy and controversy surrounding CGTN, the French Supreme Audiovisual Council stressed in its press release that “the CSA will pay particular attention to CGTN’s compliance with the regulatory requirements.
According to the “cross-border television agreement” signed in 1989 within the framework of the Council of Europe, CGTN can continue to broadcast in the UK as long as it can apply for legal broadcasting rights from other signatory countries. Although the UK has left the EU, it is still a member of the Council of Europe, and leaving the EU does not affect the rights of foreign media to broadcast throughout Europe. Therefore, CGTN can still legally broadcast its programs in Europe, including the UK.
However, once CGTN is placed under the control of the French Supreme Audiovisual Council, the Council will have the power to order penalties or suspensions when CGTN broadcasts content that incites hatred, violence or disrespect for human dignity and integrity. In the past, the CSA has ordered the suspension of Middle East channels for serious mistakes.
“China Global Television Network (CGTN), also known as China International Television (CITV), is a global television network owned by China Central Radio and Television (CCTV). It was formerly known as CCTV’s foreign language international channel, which went on air at noon Beijing Time on Dec. 31, 2016. In February 2020, the U.S. government characterized China Global Television as part of the Chinese Communist Party’s “diplomatic corps” on the grounds that the channel is directly controlled by the Chinese Communist Party.
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