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Biden Has Eyes on Discovery’s Polish TV Woes, Official Says

Biden Has Eyes on Discovery’s Polish TV Woes, Official Says

Discovery Inc.’s problems with securing an extension of a broadcasting license for its Polish news channel TVN24 have attracted the attention of U.S. President Joe Biden, a Washington official told Polish daily Rzeczpospolita.

The issue is “a priority for the U.S.,” Derek Chollet, a counselor at the State Department, said in an interview with Rzeczpospolita.

The ruling Law & Justice party wants to pass legislation that will force Discovery to sell control of its Polish unit TVN, the largest privately owned television group in the country. The media regulator has been dragging its feet for more than a year over an extension of the broadcasting license for TVN24, the group’s news channel whose investigative reports have exposed corruption at various levels in the government.

There’s no legitimate reason for the delay in granting TVN24 the license, Jean-Briac Perrette, chief executive officer of Discovery Networks International LLC, told Variety on Friday, warning the issue “fundamentally goes to destabilize the country for all businesses.”

U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo also warned Poland last week about restricting U.S. investment.

©2021 Bloomberg L.P.