Potential removal of Canal+ broadcasting license viewed as beneficial

Withdrawal of the license would free Canal+ from a legal obligation to finance programming which has amounted to more than $7 million over the past three years, and possibly pressure Sejm deputies to speed up revisions to the broadcast law. Under its broadcasting license, the station must present a minimum of 40% original Polish programming, is banned from selling commercials during regular programming time, and is allowed to show sports only during a 3.5 hour window every 24 hours. "The decision is an outcome of the analysis of the current television market, which allows unfair competition, with Canal+ being its victim," said Canal+ in a July 24 statement. Direct competitors of Canal+, HBO and Wizja TV, have never had to apply for a Polish broadcasting license, as they beam their signals into Poland from abroad. (Warsaw Business Journal)