Channel Eye airtime leased to Lyca Group, confirms Media Minister

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka's Media Minister & Cabinet Spokesperson Bandula Gunawardena said that with his approval, the Board of Directors of Sri Lanka Rupavahini had leased the airtime of Channel Eye to Lyca Group for a limited period.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday (15) the Minister said that the airtime of Channel Eye was leased for Rs. 25 million per month. 

Minister Bandula Gunawardena said cabinet approval was not necessary for it.

The Minister said that in the future, the airtime will be leased following a competitive bidding process. 

Sri Lanka's opposition raised concerns on Monday (14) over an agreement struck by the government with a privately-owned foreign broadcasting organization, to sell the air-time of Channel Eye, a television channel owned by the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC).

Speaking to the media on Monday (14), Politburo member of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa revealed that the government has sold the air-time of Channel Eye to a company named VIS Broadcasting Pvt. Ltd. for a period of 6 months, effective from the 30th of July 2023. 

"The organization named VIS Broadcasting Pvt. Ltd. has bought air time of Channel Eye to broadcast a channel named SBC TV. From what we know, SBC TV is linked to Lyca Mobile", he said.