Peace TV owners surrender licences to avoid Ofcom suspension

Two channels were removed from Sky this month when a broadcaster chose to surrender its licences before Ofcom could suspend them.

Peace TV and Peace TV Urdu, which were broadcast on Sky 740 and 747 until earlier in November, were abruptly taken off air days after Ofcom noticed it was repeatedly showing material that had previously breached UK broadcasting regulations for inciting violence and murder.

On receipt of an Ofcom notice informing them of a move to suspend the licences, Club TV and production company Lord Productions, who held the broadcast licences for the channels, took action to surrender them, avoiding any further Ofcom enforcement and leading to their sudden removal from the Sky channel list.

But Ofcom has warned that if these broadcasters, or those controlling them, were to apply for a broadcast licence in the future, "Ofcom’s commencement of this suspension process, our decision today and the full compliance history of the former licensees would be major factors", effectively barring those involved from holding a UK broadcast licence again.