Venezuelan Government Renews Licence for Private TV Channel Televen
The Venezuelan government’s media regulator Conatel has renewed the public broadcast licence for private television channel Televen for five years “without conditions”, it was confirmed yesterday.
Mérida, 9th September 2013 (Venezuelanalysis.com) – The Venezuelan government’s media regulator Conatel has renewed the public broadcast licence for private television channel Televen for five years “without conditions”, it was confirmed yesterday.
The decision ends speculation on social networks that conditions on Televen’s programming would be placed for the concession’s renewal.
During the presidency of Hugo Chavez Venezuela’s private media was generally aligned with the conservative opposition and critical of the government.
Since coming to power in April, the government of President Nicolas Maduro has attempted to build bridges with the country’s private television networks. In May Maduro met with the owners of Venezuela’s largest television channels, including Televen, to enlist media support for his “Movement for Peace” anti-crime campaign.
Founded in 1988, Televen offers news and current affairs programs, as well as sports, life, foreign shows and telenovelas.
According to 2010 data from Venezuelan media research company AGB Panamericana, private television channels in Venezuela enjoy a 61% audience share, compared with 33% for subscription services and 5.5% for state television.