Television in Pakistan


Television in Pakistan started in 1964 and the first live transmission of Pakistan Television began on November 26, 1964, in Lahore.

History

Originally a private sector project in 1961 by prominent industrialist Syed Wajjid Ali who signed a joint venture agreement with Nipon Electric Company, leading Pakistani engineer Ubaidur Rahman was appointed by Wajjid Ali to head the television project. By 1962, after a series of pilot transmission tests, the project was quickly taken over by the Ayub Khan Government in 1963 for the "greater national interest of Pakistan". President Ayub Khan re-appointed Ubaidur Rahman in 1963 under the Ministry of Information to continue with the NEC joint venture collaboration to launch Pakistan Television or PTV. The project began with a tent on the back lot of Radio Pakistan Lahore where a transmission tower and a studio were constructed. On November 26, 1964 the first official television station commenced transmission broadcasts from Lahore, followed by Dhaka in 1965. A third centre was established in Rawalpindi-Islamabad in 1965 and the fourth in Karachi in 1966. Later centres in Peshawar and Quetta were established by 1974. PTV was given under Television Promoters Company in 1966 which was established under Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in the same year. TPC was upgraded to Pakistan Television Corp in 1967. In 1972 PTV Corporation was nationalized. Originally broadcast in black and white, PTV began colour transmission in 1976. With this new upgrade in techniques and equipment, the Pakistan Television Academy was founded and opened in 1987 to teach students who wished to work in the medium. As with the other agreement, the government financed most of the funds while the private venture capitalists offered to fund the remainder. Late 1980s morning transmission started on PTV.
In 1990, the then government launched the first semi government TV network of the country by the name of "Peoples Television Network under the Peoples TV Network, a wholly owned company of Shalimar Recording Company. PTN, the wholly owned company was merged with Shalimar Recording Company in 1991 and the TV Channel PTN was renamed as Shalimar Television Network. PTN/STN started from Islamabad first and then from Karachi, Lahore and by mid-1990s the network made its way to the whole of the country. STN for the first time in Pakistan started the programmings of CNN International on the terrestrial beam, this was the first project of STN. Soon programs of BBC World started. In 1990, PTN under an agreement with the a private company started first ever private TV slot of Pakistan, Network Television Marketing, in this way STN's broadcast became the combination of programings of CNN, slot of NTM and limited broadcasts of programmings of BBC World and German DW TV. This successfully continued till 1999. NTM came as a breath of fresh air to the Pakistani viewers due to its fresh and innovative programmings.
PTV Network launched a full-scale satellite broadcasting service in 1991-1992. PTV-2, the first ever satellite channel of Pakistan started in 1992. In 1994, PTV was made part of the satellite beam along with PTV-2. PTV 2 was renamed as PTV World in 1998. PTV-2/World also enjoyed viewership on terrestrial beam. In 1998 PTV in association with a private company started PTV Prime, exclusively for European and later for American viewers. Digital TV satellite broadcasting was launched in 1999. PTV/PTV-1 got its satellite beam in 2001.
NTM went off air in 1999 due to financial losses and with that STN also shut down CNN Intn'l broadcast, limited programmings BBC World and DW TV in 1999. STN was taken over by PTV Network in 1999 and was given new name Channel-3 which started its transmissions on regular basis in 2000. A satellite beam of STN/Channel-3 was also arranged.
In 2000, the then government of Pakistan opened up new ways for the media industry of Pakistan by allowing private TV channels to operate openly even to telecast their own news and current affairs content. Indus Vision was launched in 2000. ARY Digital was launched in 2001, Geo TV in 2002, Aaj TV in 2004 and Hum TV was launched in 2005, and the phenomenon went on.
In 2005 Channel-3 went off air and with that Shalimar Recording and Broadcasting Company renamed its TV channel to ATV and ATV started its transmission as the only semi-private TV channel of Pakistan being shown on terrestrial as well as satellite beam. In 2007, PTV or PTV-1 was given a new name PTV Home and PTV World went off air. PTV News replaced PTV World in 2007. PTV Home, PTV News and ATV channels are shown on terrestrial beams along with the satellite beam. While recently started PTV Sports becomes available on terrestrial beams in place of either PTV Home or PTV News only during the important national and international sports events. PTV Prime went out of PTV's purview in 2005 as an independent Prime TV ; PTV launched an exclusive channel for Americas & Europe in 2006 i.e. PTV Global.

Important TV Networks

National Broadcasters
Currently two TV networks, working under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of the Federal Government are given the status of National Broadcasters.
i) PTV Network, The state owned TV Network: Following TV Channels are working under PTV Network
a) PTV or PTV Home
b) PTV News
c) PTV Global
d) PTV World
e) PTV Sports
f) PTV Parliament
g) PTV National
h) PTV Bolan
i) AJK TV
j) PTV Teleschool

ii) Shalimar Recording and Broadcasting Company: Following TV Channel comes under SRBC
ATV
Private TV Channels
There are many privately owned television networks working. These are:
i) ARY Digital Network:
a) ARY Digital
b) ARY QTV
c) ARY News
d) ARY Musik
e) ARY Zindagi
f) HBO
g) Nickelodeon

ii) Geo TV Network
a) Geo TV
b) Geo News
c) Geo Super
d) Geo Tez
e) Geo Kahani

iii) Hum TV Network
a) Hum TV
b) Hum News
c) Hum Masala
d) Hum Sitaray
iv) Indus TV Network
a) Indus News
v) Aaj TV Network
a) Aaj Entertainment
b) Aaj News
c) Play Entertainment
vi) Express TV Network
a) Express Entertainment
b) Express News
vii) Dunya TV Network
Dunya News
viii) Airwaves Media/Interflow
a) TV One
b) News One
c) Waseb TV
ix) Leo Communications
a) Filmazia
b) Film World
c) Filmax
d) LTN Family
e) Aruj
x) Cartoon Network
xiii) Samaa Network
a) Samaa TV

xiv) 92 News
xv) Channel 24
xvi) Public TV
xvii) SEE TV
xviii) Oxygene
xix) Apna Network
a) Apna Channel
b) Ab Takk
c) 8XM
d) Jalwa
xx) Channel-5
xxi) Channel-7
xxii) Roze News
xxiii)Such TV
xxiv) Koh-e-Noor News
xxv) Raavi TV
xxvi) KTN
a) KTN Sindhi
b) KTN News
xxvii) Sindh TV Network
a) Sindh TV
b) Sindh News
xxviii) Khyber TV Network
a) AVT Khyber
b) Khyber News
c) K-2
xxix) VSH
xxx) Urdu 1

xxxi) Mashriq TV
xxxii) Afghan TV
xxxiii) Rohi TV
xxxiv) Dharti TV
xxxv) Mehran TV
xxxvi) Kashish TV
xxxvii) Prime news hd
xxxvii) Virtual University of Pakistan
a) VU-1
b) VU-2
c) VU-3
b) VU-4

xxxviii) Pashto 1
xxxix) H now

Distribution

In Pakistan only the national broadcasters are allowed to use terrestrial airwaves. Three free to air TV Channels are available on terrestrial beam, these are PTV Home, PTV News and ATV.PTV Sports is available in place of PTV Home or PTV News when an important match/event has to be given live coverage as PTV has the rights for sports coverage at terrestrial airwaves. Transmissions of AJK TV are available on terrestrial network in the northern areas of Azad Jammu and Kashmir only. Recently Pakistan has launched Digital terrestrial broadcast in selected areas only in collaboration with China. Through DTMB five TV channels of PTV Network, ATV and two Chinese TV Channels are available via terrestrial beam.
Many national and international channels are available via satellite. Some National TV Channels are "pay to watch". Internet Protocol TV Service is provided by Pakistan Telecommunications company limited which is of high quality and is quite popular in the urban centres. Cable TV Networks are the most famous mode of television distribution in Pakistan. No direct to home service is available in Pakistan, though efforts are being made in this regard.

Regulation

regularizes the TV Channels in Pakistan. This authority issues licences for the launch of any TV Channel in Pakistan. Above mentioned national broadcasters, i.e PTV Corp and SRBC do not come under purview of PEMRA.

Concerns about the rise in influx of foreign channels

Many Pakistani television audience and artists have raised concerns about the increase of foreign channels into local television, particularly India and the Middle East. Many local Pakistani journalists have termed it a cultural invasion of the country as well as a threat to business for local artists.