Ambassador Brzezinski: KRRiT statement undermines our shared values

The National Broadcasting Council (KRRiT) still has not made a decision on the extension of the license for the TVN Style channel, the largest women's television channel in the country, despite the relevant request having been submitted in July 2023.

At the Council meeting on Tuesday (May 22), the vote on granting a further 10-year license to TVN SA for broadcasting the TVN Style channel remained unresolved.

"According to the KRRiT Chairman, granting the license for the TVN Style program could potentially violate Polish and European law. For this reason, the company's capital structure will undergo a detailed analysis by independent experts," the KRRiT said in a statement.

U.S. Ambassador to Poland Mark Brzezinski commented on the issue on the X platform.

"As President Andrzej Duda said yesterday, the U.S.-Polish cooperation in terms of security is of fundamental importance for both our countries. This cooperation translates into the defense of our shared values, commitment to democracy, freedom of the press, the rule of law, and the freedom to conduct business," the ambassador wrote.

"Anything that undermines faith in the predictability of the investment climate in Poland, such as yesterday's statement by the National Broadcasting Council (KRRiT) questioning the legitimacy of an American company's operations in Poland, undermines our shared values, bilateral interests, and the rule of law."

TVN SA board issued a statement on Thursday regarding KRRiT.

"TVN Warner Bros. Discovery ownership structure raises no concerns whatsoever. It has been confirmed by court verdicts, numerous legal opinions and KRRiT decisions granting licenses to channels from our group," TVN SA board said.

"Lack of licence extension for TVN Style and statements by the chief of KRRiT are yet another unlawful attack on the American investor and the values ​​that unite our countries," the statement added.

In April 2023, the National Broadcasting Council (KRRiT) granted TVN Group a further 10-year license for satellite broadcasting of the HGTV channel. At that time, Maciej Świrski was already serving as the chairman of KRRiT. A few months later, in November 2023, a decision was made to extend the licenses for the TVN, TVN International, and TVN Turbo stations.

It happened, however, almost a year after the request had been submitted, despite the statutory 60-day decision-making period. The delay was explained by "concern" regarding the ownership structure of TVN".

Teresa Brykczyńska, the spokesperson for the National Broadcasting Council, said in a November interview with TVN24 that the resolution was adopted unanimously and "none of the members had any doubts". "This license was granted for another 10 years," she added.

"The voting took place very quickly. Based on the submitted requests and the course of the proceedings so far, it was concluded that the license should be granted," the KRRiT spokesperson said.

TVN24, in turn, had to wait a year and a half for the license extension. The decision was finally made in September 2021, even though the relevant request was submitted to the National Broadcasting Council in February 2020.

Earlier on, some members of KRRiT were analyzing the ownership structure, considering the consequences they might face if no decision was made to grant the license.