Burkina Faso media regulator fines Canal+ over free access to state TV

Burkina Faso’s media regulator has slapped a new and much larger fine on French broadcaster Canal+ accusing it of failing to provide free access to state TV channels.

It said the satellite service has not complied with an order requiring it to make public stations freely accessible to all subscribers, even after their subscriptions expire.

The watchdog imposed a penalty of $350,000 on the French company, four times higher than the previous fine handed down in June.

At the time, it gave Canal+ 30 days to remove all technical barriers preventing subscribers from accessing unencrypted broadcasts of the state Radiodiffusion Télévision du Burkina.

The military government, in power since a 2022 coup, has suspended most major Western media outlets.

This includes France’s RFI radio and France 24 TV channel, and it has also expelled several foreign correspondents.

It has also been accused of cracking down on dissent, particularly criticism of its handling of jihadist violence that has plagued the country for a decade.