On May 3, Taiwan Broadband Communications, a major cable TV provider, cut the transmission of the FTV news channel following its failure to reach agreement over increases in content authorization fees. The decision affects around 750,000 households including 250,000 in southern Taoyuan. In the statement that FTV news issued, it alleged that Terry Gou, owner of Taiwan Broadband Communications, has vast interests in its investments in the mainland and could be under pressure to make the “proper” decision. In an interview with Epoch Times about this topic, Su Ziyun, CEO of the Tamkang University Center for Advanced Technology (CAT) commented that there is no sound evidence to prove that this speculation is correct but he did acknowledge that China has deeply infiltrated Taiwan’s media. According to Su, the approach that the mainland uses can be summarized as involving a three step strategy. The first step is to make an equity investment in a media in order to acquire it. The second is to make use of marketing channels to gain control of or cut off any other media that they have not been able to acquire or that are unfriendly to China. The third is to invest in a media’s content and to influence the selection of the programming. Su said that the third one is the most concerning because the mainland can select the information that benefits it the most and, in addition, that it can filter out any programs that are unfriendly to China.
Source: Epoch Times, May 8, 2018
http://www.epochtimes.com/gb/18/5/8/n10372305.htm