U.K. Revokes Chinese TV License Citing Communist Party Link

(Bloomberg) -- The U.K.’s media regulator has pulled Chinese state-backed television channel CGTN off the air, a decision that’s set to deepen tensions with Beijing.

China Global Television Network’s license holder, a company called Star China Media Ltd., did not have editorial control over broadcasts in the U.K., according to an investigation published by watchdog Ofcom on Thursday.

CGTN had asked for its license be transferred to an entity called China Global Television Network Corporation, but “crucial information” was missing from the application, and the new owner would be disqualified from holding a license as it would be controlled by a body ultimately controlled by the Chinese Communist Party.

While the Chinese foreign ministry had no immediate comment on the decision, last year it accused Britain of obstructing reporting by Chinese media in the U.K. It has also complained about a recent video report by the BBC on the epidemic, and has asked the broadcaster to apologize.

The proposed new license holder CGTNC did not agree that it was disqualified under British law, according to its representations shared by Ofcom. A representative for CGTN could not immediately be reached, outside of ordinary Beijing business hours.

“We have given CGTN significant time to come into compliance with the statutory rules. Those efforts have now been exhausted,” Ofcom said in the statement.

CGTN had been targeting more international audiences and hired dozens of staff for a London hub opened in 2018. Ofcom spent last year pressing for information to understand what role the Chinese state-controlled broadcaster exercised over the station.

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Tensions between the two countries have risen in the past year as Britain banned China’s Huawei Technologies Co. from its next-generation 5G wireless networks and offered passports to eligible Hong Kongers following China’s imposition of security laws.

Ofcom is required by law to prevent bodies whose goals are mainly political from becoming or remaining TV license holders. Last year Ofcom found CGTN breached impartiality rules in its coverage of Hong Kong protests.

Peter Humphrey, a British corporate investigator, and two others had submitted complaints about CGTN to Ofcom, alleging the channel had aired their forced confessions. In 2020 Ofcom found CGTN’s actions toward Humphrey breached fairness and privacy rules, and was considering sanctions against CGTN which could have included a ban. It’s close to announcing verdicts for the other two cases.

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