ITC Revokes Med TV Licence

The Independent Television Commission (ITC) has served a notice revoking the licence of satellite TV channel Med TV.

Med TV was fined by the ITC at the beginning of last year for three breaches of the Commission’s impartiality requirements (see Newsline), and in November the broadcaster was warned that its licence might be revoked (see Newsline).

Broadcasts by the channel, which included inflammatory statements encouraging acts of violence in Turkey and elsewhere, led to the suspension of Med TV on 22 March by the ITC(see Newsline). Following the Channel’s repeated failure to comply with the requirements of its licence, the ITC decided that the broadcasts were ‘likely to encourage or incite to crime or lead to disorder’, which is against UK law. The revocation notice will take effect within 28 days.

Sir Robin Biggam, chairman of the ITC, commented: “In considering MedTV’s representations, in particular the remedial action proposed, we had to bear in mind that there have been most serious and repeated failures on their part to comply with their and the ITC programme code. There has also been a failure to implement effectively undertakings made to the Commission in the past. Under these circumstances, the Commission was not satisfied that measures short of revocation would prevent repetition.”

ITC: 0171 255 3000