Poland: Discovery blasts passage of Lex-TVN
December 17, 2021
Discovery, the multichannel broadcaster, is potentially facing having to sell off its business in Poland – specifically the TVN Group – following the surprise parliamentary greenlight for controversial new legislation.
Known as Lex-TVN, the bill seeks to ban non-European ownership of Polish media companies. The Sejm, Poland’s parliament, voted in favour 229-212 with 11 abstentions to override a previous Senate veto. The bill now goes to be signed by Polish President Andrzej Duda.
Discovery issued the following statement : “The outcome of [today’s] surprise vote in the Polish Parliament should alarm any enterprise investing in Poland and anyone who cares about democracy and freedom of the press. Through this vote, Poland undermines the values that have connected Poland with Europe, and uproots the foundation of the Polish-American relationship. We now appeal to the President of the Republic of Poland, Andrzej Duda, to keep his word and veto this legislation.”
Bloomberg reports the US government has been piling pressure on the ruling Law & Justice Party for months. The party has repeatedly criticised Discovery’s impact on TVN’s news coverage of the government.