BBC controversies about the Director General's decision'. The BBC's chief operating officer, Caroline Thomson, affirmed the need to broadcast "without affecting and impinging on the audience's perception of our impartiality" and that in this case, it was a "real issue." The 2009 Gaza appeal is the only occasion on which the BBC is known to have refused an appeal broadcast request from the DEC. It is reported the 2009 DEC Gaza appeal screened only by Channel 4 and ITV raised £8.3m. In August 2014 the BBC broadcast a new DEC aid appeal for people in Gaza, without similar controversy, which raised £16m
BBC Entertainment It was also launched in Mexico on the SKY México digital satellite platform in August 2008 in a deal with Televisa, and it has since extended to other Central and South American countries. The channel replaced BBC Prime in the rest of Europe and the Middle East & North Africa in November 2009. In Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland, BBC Entertainment is carried alongside BBC One and BBC Two on the Telenet, Ziggo, and Naxoo cable networks. On 1 December 2009, Astro dropped the channel and replaced it with ITV Granada. On 1 March 2010 in Italy Sky Italia also