Taipei, Dec. 29 (CNA) Wakuwaku Japan (WWJ), a Japanese pay television channel that broadcasts Japanese programs to overseas viewers in Asia, will terminate its operations in Taiwan in April 2022, according to Taiwan's top telecommunications and broadcasting regulator.
The National Communications Commission (NCC) said Wednesday that it had received an application from WWJ to end its broadcasting services in Taiwan on April 1, 2022.
The application has only been filed for future reference and does not need NCC approval, according to the NCC.
WWJ began airing in Taiwan in September 2016, broadcasting Japanese programs 24 hours a day mostly in their original Japanese language with traditional Chinese subtitles, though some were also dubbed into Mandarin.
The channel is carried by five multiple cable television system operators in Taiwan, including Kbro, China Network Systems (CNS) and Taiwan Broadband Communications (TBC), as well as independent system operators such as Net Wave Cable Systems and Peicity Digital Cable Television, and Chunghwa Telecom's video-on-demand services.
After WWJ's withdrawal from Taiwan's market, these cable system operators are expected to file applications for changes in their cable TV channel allocation scheme.
WWJ's application came a few months after Disney Channel announced in August it would terminate operations in Taiwan on Jan. 1, 2022 after 26 years in Taiwan, but added the channel would be replaced by the Disney+ streaming service.
