BERLIN, March 6 (Reuters) - China's state-owned CGTN
television said it has resumed service over Vodafone Germany's
cable network after receiving the go-ahead from the French media
regulator.
Vodafone Germany, a unit of British telecoms group Vodafone
, had to stop distributing CGTN television on its cable
services last month as a result of a media dispute between
Britain and China.
CGTN had been distributed in Germany under a British licence
but French media regulator Conseil supérieur de l'audiovisuel
(CSA) said https://www.csa.fr/Informer/Espace-presse/Communiques-de-presse/La-chaine-CGTN-releve-pour-sa-diffusion-en-Europe-de-la-competence-de-la-France
on Wednesday that it was taking over as the relevant authority
in the wake of Britain's exit from the European Union.
"After receiving the confirmation letter from the French
media regulator stating that CGTN's right to broadcast in Europe
falls under its jurisdiction, Vodafone Germany resumed
distributing CGTN and its Documentary channel at approximately 7
a.m. on March 5 through its cable service," CGTN said in a
statement https://news.cgtn.com/news/2021-03-06/CGTN-Spokesperson-CGTN-has-resumed-broadcasting-in-Germany-YpjKCKBrfW/index.html.
Britain last month revoked a licence that let CGTN be
distributed in Britain. That drew protests from China, which on
barred the BBC from its television networks and limited its
reach in Hong Kong.
Under the terms of a 1989 agreement on "transfrontier
television", created under the aegis of the Council of Europe,
of which Britain remains a member, a distribution licence in one
European country applies across most of the continent.
France's CSA said CGTN was subject to standards such as
pluralism of information and refraining from incitement to hate
or violence.
"The CSA will be particularly attentive that CGTN respects
those legal requirements," it said in the statement.
(Reporting by Ludwig Burger, Emily Chow in Shanghai, John Irish
in Paris, Editing by Ros Russell)
Vodafone (VOD)