The stand-off between Samoa's seven television stations and the Office of the Regulator has taken its first casualty with the operators of BYU TV not renewing its licence.
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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which operates BYU TV, decided to not utilise the recently launched controversial digital platform despite a last minute intervention by Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, the Samoa Observer reports.
The church's trust said after an exhaustive study, they had determined that it was not feasible for them.
The regulator had issued a Court Order requiring television stations to move to the digital platform by Friday or face losing their broadcast licence.
A last-minute meeting between the stations and Tuilaepa saw him order the extension of the deadline to Monday next week.
The stations want to see a cheaper tarrif to use the digital platform but the regulator insists the company who own and operate the platform, Samoa Digital Communications Limited, has given an affordable tarrif.
