[Satellite Today 07-11-08] Reporters Without Borders has called on Eutelsat CEO Giuliano Berretta to react to a recorded conversation the organization claims took place between a Eutelsat employee in Beijing and an interlocutor posing as a Chinese Propaganda Department official.
    During the discussion, the alleged Eutelsat employee, whose name was withheld, claimed that New Tang Dynasty Television (NTDTV) service aboard Eutelsat’s W5 satellite was stopped June 16 due to complaints from the Chinese government. NTDTV is an independent Chinese-language broadcaster.
    Eutelsat issued a statement June 17 that the W5 satellite experienced serious technical problems and that the company was forced to reduce the number of transponders.
    “NTDTV’s broadcasts irked the Chinese government because, thanks to this satellite, they could be freely received in tens of millions of Chinese homes,” Reporters Without Borders said in a statement. “Their suspension just a few weeks ahead of the Olympic Games looks like a favor provided by Eutelsat with the aim of obtaining new deals. Eutelsat tried to drop NTDTV once before, in 2005, but an international campaign forced it to sign a new long-term contract.”
Reporters Without Borders is asking Berretta to quickly reverse the decision to suspend broadcasts by NTDTV.
    “The real reason for the decision to suppress NTDTV exposes how Eutelsat operates in China,” Reporters Without Borders said in a statement. “The company’s credibility is at stake and we urge its shareholders to intervene as quickly as possible so that NTDTV can resume broadcasting on this satellite. If that is not done, none of the TV companies that are Eutelsat clients will ever be sure they could not also be arbitrarily disconnected one day because of their content.”