BroadCom Lifts Ban on Foreign-Owned Cable TV Licences

The Maldives Broadcasting Commission (BroadCom) has repealed a 2022 amendment to broadcasting regulations that had forced telecommunications provider Dhiraagu to discontinue its cable television service, DhiraaguTV.

Dhiraagu was granted its rebroadcasting licence in 2013 and launched DhiraaguTV in 2015. The 2022 amendment restricted rebroadcasting licences to companies that are entirely Maldivian-owned. As Bahrain’s Batelco holds a 52 per cent stake in Dhiraagu, the company was unable to renew its licence and was compelled to shut down its service.

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At the time of closure, DhiraaguTV was the first and only IPTV provider in the Maldives to deliver digital IPTV services to 85 per cent of households nationwide, offering over 100 channels via a fully digitised network. The company had invested significantly in the service and incurred substantial losses as a result of the regulatory change.

Dhiraagu initially filed a lawsuit against BroadCom over the decision but later withdrew the case, subsequently selling DhiraaguTV to SSNET, a new cable television provider that began operations in 2023.