Exploiting Airwaves for Private Gain: Sanlih News Heavily Fined for Illicit Pushin Ranch Product Placement

In 2019, after its parent group acquired 'Pushin Ranch', Sanlih TV began utilizing its news broadcasts during prime-time hours to run extensive, positive coverage promoting the ranch's commercial events. This practice violated the Satellite Broadcasting Act, which strictly requires news reports to be clearly distinguished from advertisements. Media watchdogs criticized Sanlih for degrading a public-interest news channel into a corporate promotional tool. On December 18, the National Communications Commission (NCC) officially ruled that Sanlih had disguised advertisements as news, heavily compromising journalistic integrity. The NCC fined Sanlih 700,000 NTD, highlighting the media group's blatant exploitation of public airwaves for corporate financial gain.