Concession for TVN Style. Mark Brzezinski, US ambassador to Poland: the statement of the National Broadcasting Council undermines our common values

The National Broadcasting Council has still not made a decision to extend the license of the TVN Style channel, the largest women's television channel in the country, even though the appropriate application was submitted in July 2023. At the council meeting on May 22 this year, the vote on granting a license for the next 10 years to TVN SA to broadcast the TVN Style program remained unresolved.

“In the opinion of the Chairman of the National Broadcasting Council, granting a license for the TVN Style program could involve breaking Polish and European law. For this reason, the company's capital structure will be subject to a detailed analysis by independent experts,” the National Broadcasting Council wrote in a statement.

The ambassador comments on the matter USA in Poland Mark Brzezinski.

“As President Andrzej Duda said yesterday, US-Poland cooperation in the field of security is of fundamental importance for both of our countries. This cooperation translates into the defense of our common values, commitment to democracy, freedom of the press, rule of law and freedom to conduct business. Everything, which undermines faith in the predictability of the investment climate in Poland, as yesterday's statement by the National Broadcasting Council, questioning the legitimacy of an American company conducting business in Poland, undermines our common values, bilateral interests and the rule of law,” he wrote.

Thursday a statement regarding the activities of the National Broadcasting Council was issued by the management board of TVN SA.

“The ownership structure of TVN Warner Bros. Discovery does not raise any doubts. This is confirmed by court judgments, numerous legal opinions and decisions of the National Broadcasting Council granting licenses to our group's channels,” the statement said.

“The failure to extend the license for TVN Style and the statements of the head of the National Broadcasting Council are another unlawful attack on the American investor and the values ​​that unite our countries,” it added.

In April 2023 National Broadcasting Council granted to TVN for another 10 years a license for satellite broadcasting of the HGTV channel. Maciej Świrski was already the chairman of the National Broadcasting Council. A few months later, in November 2023, it was decided to extend the license for TVN, TVN International and TVN Turbo. However, this happened almost a year after submitting the application, despite the statutory 60 days to make a decision. This was then explained by “doubts about TVN's ownership structure.”

Teresa Brykczyńska, the spokeswoman of the National Broadcasting Council said in November in an interview with TVN24 that the resolution was adopted “unanimously, none of the members had any doubts.” – This concession was granted for the next 10 years – she added.

– The vote took place very quickly. Based on the submitted applications and the course of the proceedings so far, it was decided that the license should be adopted – informed the KRRiT spokeswoman.

Read more: Licenses for the next 10 years for the following programs: TVN, TVN International and TVN Turbo

TVN24, in turn, had to wait a year and a half to extend its license. The decision was made only in September 2021. The appropriate application was submitted to the National Broadcasting Council in February 2020. Previously, some members of the National Broadcasting Council analyzed, among other things, the ownership structure and wondered what consequences they would face if the decision to grant a license was not made.

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