Ministry of ICT, to tender channel one by order of Gustavo Petro

In the middle of Council of Ministers this Friday, August 15he President Gustavo Petro ordered him Julián Molina, Minister of ICTstart tender Channel 1despite the fact that the current concession is in force until 2037.

In his instruction, the Head of State told the Mintic that the objective of his order is a “New way to handle television“That, as he mentions, must be in the hands of the”Youth, people, art and culture“, and not the government or”Economic potentates“

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The president’s order arises in the middle of a Tense situation between this portfolio and plural SAS communicationsthe company that currently operates channel 1 under concession No. 001 of 2017.

Although Petro did not give details about what circumstances or arguments the concession would have to be overcome, he told Molina that “There are irregularities“

Ramiro Avendaño, President of Channel 1he spoke to the newspaper El Tiempo about this order taught by the president to initiate the tender of the channel: “There is no legal support for what the president requests. The concession of Channel 1 is in force until May 2037 by Law of the Republic. In addition, we do not know the political intentions behind the systematic matoneo with a free and plural environment that defends democracy, freedom of the press and represents the interests of all Colombians“

How would expire be carried out?

In May it was known that the Ministry of Information and Communications Technologies, through its Communications Industry Directoratehas been investigating apparent irregularities related to the modification of the company’s share composition, without prior authorization of the portfolio.

According to a Mintic document, a “has been identified”alleged contractual breach“On the part of Plural Communications, due to the modification of its share composition without its previous and express permission, a requirement established in the concession contract.

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The portfolio states that the applicable regulatory frame National Television Authority (ANTV)whose functions now exerts the Mintic.

In addition, a study of the same entity points out that the concessionaire must request the update the Single Registration of Operators (Ruo) If there are changes in your data, such as the share composition.

Under that order of ideas, the Ministry has indicated that Plural Communications did modify its share composition at the end of 2022 and “allegedly“He did not manage to update the RUO in a timely manner.

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Plural, meanwhile, responded to these accusations, qualifying them as an attempt to “expropriation“. The company argues that the current concession of channel 1 and their property have not changed and that the changes of partners are allowed by law. Its president said at the time that the MINTIC had previously notified him that it was not necessary to report changes of internal partners in the concessionary entertainment.

The Superintendence of Societies It also issued a concept through a document indicating that the sale of shares does not require its approval and that changes in the shareholding composition of Plural Communications, derived from a sale of shares, are not a reason for “Surveillance activities“

Ramiro Avendaño, president of Channel 1.

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This Superintendency made an administrative visit to the company in November 2024 and found that since December 21, 2022, its unique shareholder is HMTV one sas. HMTV one sas has as a single shareholder Phoenix Media Sasowned by two natural persons, each with 50% of the actions.

The entity did not find corporate subordination between the entities of the HAUG GROUP AND PLURAL COMMUNICATIONS SAS, HMTV UNO SAS AND PHOENIX MEDIA SAS.

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