The Information Ministry announced Monday that it would push back by two months a deadline for all 17 local television stations to broadcast only Cambodian- produced content during prime time.
In late September, Information Minister Khieu Kanharith announced that only local programming could be shown between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. starting on November 1.
But a statement released Mondayextended that deadline to December 31.
“After requests from some TV station owners to delay the broadcasting of Khmer productions due to issues with producing enough shows and the change of broadcasting time, the Ministry of Information will allow all TV station owners to delay the broadcasting of Khmer productions through the 31st of December 2015,” the notice said.
Information Ministry Undersecretary of State Ouk Kimseng said the ban on foreign content was intended to stimulate local television production.
“Using a large number of foreign programs arriving with a cheaper price causes difficulty for Khmer production to catch up,” he said.
