RT International

[RR]

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/lat...cast-in-uk

Ofcom did also recently ban the Chinese channel CGTN. Among the reasons, they stated:

In the UK, broadcasting laws made by Parliament state that broadcast licensees must have control over the licensed service – including editorial oversight over the programmes they show. In addition, under these laws, licence holders cannot be controlled by political bodies.

Their position was that it was controlled by a body which is ultimately controlled by the Chinese Communist Party. It is difficult to see how RT would pass that requirement.

[Inspector Sands]

It's mostly irrelevant anyway as they weren't broadcasting in the UK anyway and won't be for the foreseeable

[Markymark]

What I don't understand is RT has continually broken due impartiality rules and Ofcom didn't revoke their licence, instead slapping their wrists with fines, yet it's taken them to invade Ukraine to do it?

Why didn't they do it when they invaded Crimea in 2014?

Indeed. Ofcom require some proper and serious scrutiny. They're not so much a regulator, but a business opportunities agency

[Brekkie]

What I don't understand is RT has continually broken due impartiality rules and Ofcom didn't revoke their licence, instead slapping their wrists with fines, yet it's taken them to invade Ukraine to do it?

Why didn't they do it when they invaded Crimea in 2014?

The same question applies to pretty much all the sanctions and consequences of this invasion this time around considering the world seemed to take a blind eye in 2014.

[Rex]

Seems like RT has been finally removed from Freeview, both SD and HD versions following the revocation of its licence.

The space left on the HD mux won't be filled since its closing in June, but there's some prime space to be filled from the SD channel

[James2001]

Lavrov's been on RT (for the few who are still watching) praising Fox News and saying there's "no such thing as independent Western media"- which is a joke seeing as any independent media in Russia has been purged and closed down and people not reporting the government line thrown in prison.

https://twitter.com/justinbaragona/statu...9566077984

Just like Trump was doing all the time, they're guilty of projection.

[Keith]

Seems like RT has been finally removed from Freeview, both SD and HD versions following the revocation of its licence.

The space left on the HD mux won't be filled since its closing in June, but there's some prime space to be filled from the SD channel

I assume one of the remaining SD channels on COM7 would be keen to move into the space. (If only one of the other multiplexes could be migrated to DVB-T2.)

[Markymark]

Seems like RT has been finally removed from Freeview, both SD and HD versions following the revocation of its licence.

The space left on the HD mux won't be filled since its closing in June, but there's some prime space to be filled from the SD channel

Yes, my telly reported the channel line up had changed when I switched it on earlier today. Selecting 113 and 234 resulted in a quick glimpse of the apology caption, before the EPG was wiped of RT's two entries, and the telly dumped me back to BBC 1 in each case

[Brekkie]

Is this the first Freeview channel to lose it's licence?

[Rex]

Is this the first Freeview channel to lose it's licence?

Nope. Tease Me TV back in 2010 lost their licence when they were broadcasting X rated material when BBC3/4 closed for the day and the childrens channels went on air.

The bandwidth released to Channel One wasn't used until Challenge replaced it

[CantGetIn]

What I don't understand is RT has continually broken due impartiality rules and Ofcom didn't revoke their licence, instead slapping their wrists with fines, yet it's taken them to invade Ukraine to do it?

Why didn't they do it when they invaded Crimea in 2014?

The same question applies to pretty much all the sanctions and consequences of this invasion this time around considering the world seemed to take a blind eye in 2014.

The answer is that we all pedal an illusion of grander when in reality, after stripping back the ideology the end result is pretty much the same. But we westerners do enjoy the high castle. All illegal occupation should be condemned regardless of who does it.

[JAS84]

Seems like RT has been finally removed from Freeview, both SD and HD versions following the revocation of its licence.

The space left on the HD mux won't be filled since its closing in June, but there's some prime space to be filled from the SD channel

I assume one of the remaining SD channels on COM7 would be keen to move into the space. (If only one of the other multiplexes could be migrated to DVB-T2.)

Here's a channel list: https://www.freeview.co.uk/corporate/pla...fessionals

Looking at that, the remaining non-+1, non-HD channels on COM7 are FreeSports, NOW 80s, That's TV, and Forces TV.

[Brekkie]

Have to wonder if Arquiva have plans in place - I wouldn't think they'd want to lose Freesports or Forces TV really. Still ridiculous we're in this situation a decade or more on from the first HD channels launching that HD muxes are being closed - should be COM5 & 6 making way for HD-T2 muxes really and channels transferred across.

[TVenthusiasm]

RT's website seems to be shut down - so perhaps the sanctions on RT may have applied to it's website too?

[Markymark]

Have to wonder if Arquiva have plans in place - I wouldn't think they'd want to lose Freesports or Forces TV really. Still ridiculous we're in this situation a decade or more on from the first HD channels launching that HD muxes are being closed - should be COM5 & 6 making way for HD-T2 muxes really and channels transferred across.

It wouldn't be too late for the BBC to launch an HD 'pop up' channel on COM 7 for the Platinum Jubilee in June (just before the mux is due to close on June 30th !)