British Broadcasting Authority revokes CGTN broadcasting licence

A media dispute is simmering between the United Kingdom and China: The British broadcasting authority Ofcom has revoked the broadcasting license of the English-language foreign broadcaster CGTN from China due to political influence on the program. The reason given by the authority was that an investigation had shown that the broadcasting license was wrongly held by the media group Star China Media Limited (SCML). This is because, according to Ofcom, SCML does not have “editorial responsibility” for CGTN and, therefore, “does not meet the legal requirements to have control over the licensed service”. According to the regulator, editorial control lies with CCTV, which is ultimately controlled by the Chinese Communist Party.