Ofcom has fined Asia TV Limited £25,000 (€35,000) for failing to provide adequate protection for viewers, after it aired what was deemed potentially harmful content on its Lamhe TV channel.

Under Ofcom’s Broadcasting Code, all licensees must apply generally-accepted standards to the content on their TV and radio services, and provide adequate protection for viewers from the inclusion of potentially harmful material.

After an investigation, Ofcom found that the unsubstantiated and unqualified medical advice about cancer treatment given in the channel’s Yoga for You programme – broadcast in Hindi with English subtitles – contained an appreciable risk of harm to viewers.

Ofcom concluded this was a serious breach of the Broadcasting Code which warranted a statutory sanction.

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