CHENNAI: Puthiya Thalaimurai (PT TV) television channel has been allegedly taken off air on Saturday by the Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable TV Corporation Limited (TACTV) from among the over 150 channels that it offers. However, PT TV was brought back in some districts after negotiations between the channel and TACTV. Reasons for the block out were unclear.
AIADMK leader Palaniswami slammed the DMK government for ‘blocking’ of Tamil news channel Puthiya Thalaimurai’s telecast on Arasu cable network.
In a post on X, Palaniswami also referred to reports that the telecast of Puthiya Thalaimurai had been restored in some districts after having been suspended fully.
The Chennai Press Club which lashed out TACTV for the block out said that suspending or blocking a news channel’s telecast without prior notice amounts to suppression of freedom of speech. “It appears that Puthiya Thalaimurai has been taken off air without any prior intimation two days ago. If true, we strongly condemn this action and urge that the channel’s telecast be restored immediately,” it said in a statement.
This the second time in 8 years that PT TV is being taken off air; the earlier one being 2017 for allegedly airing an RK Nagar poll survey, which was allegedly not in favour of politician V K Sasikala.
