The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) recently cancelled three satellite TV channel licenses belonging to three different companies. TV 7/ TV3 HEALTH PLANET, Hope TV, and CGTN satellite TV channel license have been cancelled by the Ministry.
As per the database of the Ministry, TV 7/TV3 HEALTH PLANET owned by Comsat System Private Limited got its TV license cancelled on 1st July 2021 with MIB marking the license as ‘Not Required’. The company had initially bagged the license on 23rd March 2021 in the ‘NON-NEWS’ category.
MIB separately has cancelled the license of Chinese state media CGTN on 13th June 2021 with the reason marked as ‘Not Required’. The license owned by Planetcast Media Services Limited was initially granted on 7th January 2008 in the ‘NEWS’ category.
| Channel | Company Name | UL & DL/ UL Only/ DL Only | Category | Date of Permission (DD/MM/YYYY) | Date of Cancellation of Permission (DD/MM/YYYY) | Reason for Cancellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CGTN (Earlier CCTV NEWS) | PLANETCAST MEDIA SERVICES LIMITED (EARLIER: ESSEL SHYAM COMMUNICATION LIMITED) | DOWNLINKING ONLY | NEWS | 7/1/2008 | 13/06/2021 | Not required |
| HOPE TV | NOIDA SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY PARK LTD | DOWNLINKING ONLY | NON-NEWS | 11/11/2009 | 20/06/2021 | Not required |
| TV 7/ TV3 HEALTH PLANET | COMSAT SYSTEM PRIVATE LIMITED | UPLINKING & DOWNLINKING | NON-NEWS | 23/03/2011 | 1/7/2021 | Not required |
MIB has also cancelled the license of Hope TV on 20th June 2021 marking it as ‘Not Required’. The license owned by Noida Software Technology Park Limited was initially granted on 11th November 2009 in the ‘NON-NEWS’ category.
MIB in a notification dated 8th June 2021 prohibited the broadcasting of Non-News and Current Affairs TV channel ‘Hope TV’ from 9th June 2021 to 8th July 2021. The Ministry directed all the MSOs/LCOs to not carry the above-mentioned channel on their network during its prohibition period.
The license was permitted to Noida Software Technology Park Limited (NSPTL) for downlinking on 11th November 2009 with subsequent renewal up to 10th November 2024 on 1st March 2017.
The Ministry issued a Show Cause Notice to the channel for unauthorized logo usage of Hope Channel India instead of Hope Channel. The company didn’t furnish a reply to the Show Cause Notice. The Ministry then again issued a new Show Cause notice that again went unanswered.
The Ministry later requested the company to furnish evidence for valid exclusive marketing rights for the territory of India in respect of ‘Hope TV’ and also furnish the clarification regarding the use of the unauthorized logo of ‘Hope TV’.
The company was further asked to deposit an annual permit fee for only downlinking TV channels for the period from 22nd December 2020 to 21st December 2021. The Ministry received no answer from the company till June 2021.
The Ministry then issued a final show-cause notice asking why the permission of downlinking for the TV channel namely ‘Hope TV’ should not be cancelled for using of unauthorized logo and non-deposition of outstanding fee that again went unanswered.
