Discovery advances in Polish news challenge

WARSAW, Poland — The U.S. company Discovery Inc. said Monday it has been granted a Dutch license that would allow it to keep broadcasting its independent news channel TVN24 into Poland.

The announcement comes as Poland’s state broadcasting authority has for a year and a half refused to renew TVN24’s license, which expires Sept. 26. The independent television channel is watched by millions of people daily in Poland and has published reports that criticize the country’s right-wing nationalist government.

In another challenge for Discovery, the lower house of Poland’s parliament gave initial approval last week to a bill which — if it gets final passage and the president’s approval — would force Discovery to sell its controlling share in its Polish network.

“This license does not in any way solve the situation we have with the new law passed in the government,” said Kasia Kieli, Discovery’s president and managing director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. “The future of TVN and freedom of press in Poland is still at risk.”

Discovery considers the refusal to renew TNV24’s license and the draft media bill to be discriminatory, and many people in Poland view the efforts as an attempt to silence the news outlet.

The government of Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki denies that, saying it no longer wants companies from outside of Europe to have controlling stakes in Polish media companies, citing national security and sovereignty issues.

However, President Andrzej Duda on Sunday