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Tag: Khalid Arain

  • Pak DTH licence bidding stayed

    Pak DTH licence bidding stayed

    MUMBAI: The Lahore High Court reportedly stayed the DTH licence bidding process till a decision on petitions challenging PEMRA rules governing licences is taken.

    A bench headed by Justice Ayesha A. Malik issued the order suspending the DTH (direct-to-home) licence bidding process scheduled for Wednesday, Dawn reported.

    The decision was taken on similar applications filed by the Independent Newspaper Corporation and others.

    The bench had already heard the main case against the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) rules on DTH service licences and reserved its judgement.

    Some media companies had questioned the rules terming them discriminatory. They accused PEMRA of not allowing local broadcasters to participate in the bidding. PEMRA had opposed the petitions arguing that a broadcaster could not be a distributor of its own content. It would be a conflict of interests, PEMRA stated.

    Cable operators strike off

    The Cable Operators Association on Tuesday called off its strike following discussion with the minister of state for information Marriyum Aurangzeb and the Pakistan Broadcasters Association.

    COA president Khalid Arain said the government had assured them that their concern over DTH licences the issue would be addressed.

    PBA supports cable operators

    Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA) chairman Mian Amir Mehmood has said that a joint committee would negotiate the terms regarding DTH with the government. He said that DTH was unfair to the cable industry and the Pakistani channels.

    If the reservations of Pakistani channels and the cable industry were not resolved, it was also decided in the meeting, the PBA members will not allow PEMRA to telecast its channels on the DTH. The PBA has also assured the cable operators of its support in case of retaliation by PEMRA, the News reported.

    Cable channels subsequently reopened throughout Pakistan.

    Also read

    Cable TV suspended in parts of Pakistan; Senate okays DTH plan

    PEMRA announces DTH licence bidders; Indian DTH eviction to continue

  • Pak DTH licence bidding stayed

    Pak DTH licence bidding stayed

    MUMBAI: The Lahore High Court reportedly stayed the DTH licence bidding process till a decision on petitions challenging PEMRA rules governing licences is taken.

    A bench headed by Justice Ayesha A. Malik issued the order suspending the DTH (direct-to-home) licence bidding process scheduled for Wednesday, Dawn reported.

    The decision was taken on similar applications filed by the Independent Newspaper Corporation and others.

    The bench had already heard the main case against the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) rules on DTH service licences and reserved its judgement.

    Some media companies had questioned the rules terming them discriminatory. They accused PEMRA of not allowing local broadcasters to participate in the bidding. PEMRA had opposed the petitions arguing that a broadcaster could not be a distributor of its own content. It would be a conflict of interests, PEMRA stated.

    Cable operators strike off

    The Cable Operators Association on Tuesday called off its strike following discussion with the minister of state for information Marriyum Aurangzeb and the Pakistan Broadcasters Association.

    COA president Khalid Arain said the government had assured them that their concern over DTH licences the issue would be addressed.

    PBA supports cable operators

    Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA) chairman Mian Amir Mehmood has said that a joint committee would negotiate the terms regarding DTH with the government. He said that DTH was unfair to the cable industry and the Pakistani channels.

    If the reservations of Pakistani channels and the cable industry were not resolved, it was also decided in the meeting, the PBA members will not allow PEMRA to telecast its channels on the DTH. The PBA has also assured the cable operators of its support in case of retaliation by PEMRA, the News reported.

    Cable channels subsequently reopened throughout Pakistan.

    Also read

    Cable TV suspended in parts of Pakistan; Senate okays DTH plan

    PEMRA announces DTH licence bidders; Indian DTH eviction to continue

  • Cable TV suspended in parts of Pakistan; Senate okays DTH plan

    Cable TV suspended in parts of Pakistan; Senate okays DTH plan

    MUMBAI: Cable operators have suspended their services in different areas of Pakistan after unfruitful dialogue with the government on the postponement of Direct-To-Home (DTH) licences to be auctioned tomorrow.

    Around three million consumers use Indian DTH, and the government plans to eliminate it through local facilities and save about PKR 24 billion in capital flight to India. Estimates of DTH users range from 70,000 to 2.5 million with most of them concentrated in Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi.

    Cable services in Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Gujarat and Multan have been suspended. In Balochistan’s capital Quetta, however, cable TV was still running, Pakistani newspapers reported.

    Pakistan’s Senate panel on information, broadcasting and national heritage has asked Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) to proceed with its decision to launch an indigenous Direct to Home (DTH) television system.

    Opposing the move, operators started suspending their services in various parts following their complete strike call from Monday evening. Cable Operators’ Association staged a protest at the press club announcing closure of the services.

    The Senate meeting, chaired by senator Kamil Ali Agha, was informed by PEMRA chairman Absar Alam that it held successful meeting with the operators and decided that Pakistani DTH would be launched in November 2017 giving them time for system upgradation. Still, they announced shutdown of cable, he added.

    Alam said that operators had no problem with illegal Indian DTH and demanded to lift ban on Indian content. But, they want the PEMRA DTH plan abolished which was unconvincing. Alam said PEMRA had taken concrete steps to stop Indian content and Indian movies on the cable.

    Earlier, finance minister Ishaq Dar reportedly refused to agree to operators’ demand and decided that the DTH auction will be held as per schedule on Wednesday. The successful bidder however would start its operation from November next year.

    Not budging from their positions, operators are now likely to go on strike for an indefinite period. Cable Operators Association chairman Khalid Arain, on 15 November, said that DTH launch was not justified since the cable operators invested billions in converting the analogue cable system into the digital one. Arain said they needed at least three years to create awareness among the people about cable digitalisation.

    Unlike the analogue connections, DTH service is a digital platform that transfers channels directly into homes from satellite through small dish antennas. The service is reliable and allows consumers to view high-definition video. The quality of channels at the end on the bandwidth does not diminish such as those on cable.

    Also read

    Pak to award three DTH licences on 23 Nov; Chinese, UAE companies also in fray

     

  • Cable TV suspended in parts of Pakistan; Senate okays DTH plan

    Cable TV suspended in parts of Pakistan; Senate okays DTH plan

    MUMBAI: Cable operators have suspended their services in different areas of Pakistan after unfruitful dialogue with the government on the postponement of Direct-To-Home (DTH) licences to be auctioned tomorrow.

    Around three million consumers use Indian DTH, and the government plans to eliminate it through local facilities and save about PKR 24 billion in capital flight to India. Estimates of DTH users range from 70,000 to 2.5 million with most of them concentrated in Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi.

    Cable services in Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Gujarat and Multan have been suspended. In Balochistan’s capital Quetta, however, cable TV was still running, Pakistani newspapers reported.

    Pakistan’s Senate panel on information, broadcasting and national heritage has asked Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) to proceed with its decision to launch an indigenous Direct to Home (DTH) television system.

    Opposing the move, operators started suspending their services in various parts following their complete strike call from Monday evening. Cable Operators’ Association staged a protest at the press club announcing closure of the services.

    The Senate meeting, chaired by senator Kamil Ali Agha, was informed by PEMRA chairman Absar Alam that it held successful meeting with the operators and decided that Pakistani DTH would be launched in November 2017 giving them time for system upgradation. Still, they announced shutdown of cable, he added.

    Alam said that operators had no problem with illegal Indian DTH and demanded to lift ban on Indian content. But, they want the PEMRA DTH plan abolished which was unconvincing. Alam said PEMRA had taken concrete steps to stop Indian content and Indian movies on the cable.

    Earlier, finance minister Ishaq Dar reportedly refused to agree to operators’ demand and decided that the DTH auction will be held as per schedule on Wednesday. The successful bidder however would start its operation from November next year.

    Not budging from their positions, operators are now likely to go on strike for an indefinite period. Cable Operators Association chairman Khalid Arain, on 15 November, said that DTH launch was not justified since the cable operators invested billions in converting the analogue cable system into the digital one. Arain said they needed at least three years to create awareness among the people about cable digitalisation.

    Unlike the analogue connections, DTH service is a digital platform that transfers channels directly into homes from satellite through small dish antennas. The service is reliable and allows consumers to view high-definition video. The quality of channels at the end on the bandwidth does not diminish such as those on cable.

    Also read

    Pak to award three DTH licences on 23 Nov; Chinese, UAE companies also in fray

     

  • Pak to award three DTH licences on 23 Nov; Chinese, UAE companies also in fray

    Pak to award three DTH licences on 23 Nov; Chinese, UAE companies also in fray

    MUMBAI: Twelve companies have been shortlisted by PEMRA to bid for the award of three DTH licences on 23 November which is anticipated to fetch around US$400 million. Initially the authority will issue license for a period of 15 years, which will be extended as per agreement.

    No TV channel would be allowed to be a part of the licence directly. The base price for the bid offering was PKR 20 million.

    The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority is expecting indirect and direct investment of PKR 4194 crore (INR 2720 crore) through bidding of Direct to Home licenses during the next three years. PEMRA officials said the body will open the bidding process at the PEMRA headquarters to give away three licenses, for which 12 companies including Chinese, Russian and UAE firms out of 16 had been selected, Pakistani newspapers reported.

    The short-listed companies are:

    Mag Entertainment Lah­ore

    Orient Electronics Lah­ore

    Skyflix Islamabad

    Startimes Communi­ca­tions Isla­m­abad

    Smart Sky Islam­abad

    Sardar Builders Islamabad

    Parus Media and Broadcast Islamabad

    Naya Tel Islamabad

    Sha­h­zad Sky Islamabad

    Maestro Med­ia Distribution Islamabad

    HB DTH Islamabad

    IQ Com­munications Karachi

    PEMRA had fixed the price of DTH service box PKR 2,500 to PKR 3,000 and its subscription fee will be only PKR 550 a month.

    Countrywide, this decision is forecast to create 1,500 direct and 15,000 indirect employment opportunities. PEMRA officials said DTH had captured maximum 25 per cent market while the rest was being served by digital cable suppliers.

    There are around three million consumers, using Indian DTH, and the government aims to eliminate it through local facilities and save about PKR 24 billion in capital flight to India.

    A PEMRA official said that a Chinese firm was keen to establish a company in Pakistan to manufacture set-top box for DTH and digital cable TV. The Pakistani cable market is primarily analogue, and the most of the operators have not adequately invested in upgrading their networks.

    Cable operators in Pakistan had launched an anti-DTH campaign. The Cable Operators Association had staged a protest last week against the DTH bidding. Association chairman Khalid Arain said that the PEMRA chairman had assured the association that PEMRA would not launch DTH in the next two years, warning it to stop the bidding or face the consequences.

    Meanwhile, Christian Post reported that PEMRA had banned all 11 Christian TV channels airing in the country and arrested at least six cable operators for defying the order.

    PEMRA does not grant landing rights for religious content, allowing the airing of Christian messages only for Christmas and Easter.

    However, the Christian channels had been operating for over 25 years. PEMRA has now formally labelled the Christian channels as illegal, the Post reported quoting UCAnews.

  • Pak to award three DTH licences on 23 Nov; Chinese, UAE companies also in fray

    Pak to award three DTH licences on 23 Nov; Chinese, UAE companies also in fray

    MUMBAI: Twelve companies have been shortlisted by PEMRA to bid for the award of three DTH licences on 23 November which is anticipated to fetch around US$400 million. Initially the authority will issue license for a period of 15 years, which will be extended as per agreement.

    No TV channel would be allowed to be a part of the licence directly. The base price for the bid offering was PKR 20 million.

    The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority is expecting indirect and direct investment of PKR 4194 crore (INR 2720 crore) through bidding of Direct to Home licenses during the next three years. PEMRA officials said the body will open the bidding process at the PEMRA headquarters to give away three licenses, for which 12 companies including Chinese, Russian and UAE firms out of 16 had been selected, Pakistani newspapers reported.

    The short-listed companies are:

    Mag Entertainment Lah­ore

    Orient Electronics Lah­ore

    Skyflix Islamabad

    Startimes Communi­ca­tions Isla­m­abad

    Smart Sky Islam­abad

    Sardar Builders Islamabad

    Parus Media and Broadcast Islamabad

    Naya Tel Islamabad

    Sha­h­zad Sky Islamabad

    Maestro Med­ia Distribution Islamabad

    HB DTH Islamabad

    IQ Com­munications Karachi

    PEMRA had fixed the price of DTH service box PKR 2,500 to PKR 3,000 and its subscription fee will be only PKR 550 a month.

    Countrywide, this decision is forecast to create 1,500 direct and 15,000 indirect employment opportunities. PEMRA officials said DTH had captured maximum 25 per cent market while the rest was being served by digital cable suppliers.

    There are around three million consumers, using Indian DTH, and the government aims to eliminate it through local facilities and save about PKR 24 billion in capital flight to India.

    A PEMRA official said that a Chinese firm was keen to establish a company in Pakistan to manufacture set-top box for DTH and digital cable TV. The Pakistani cable market is primarily analogue, and the most of the operators have not adequately invested in upgrading their networks.

    Cable operators in Pakistan had launched an anti-DTH campaign. The Cable Operators Association had staged a protest last week against the DTH bidding. Association chairman Khalid Arain said that the PEMRA chairman had assured the association that PEMRA would not launch DTH in the next two years, warning it to stop the bidding or face the consequences.

    Meanwhile, Christian Post reported that PEMRA had banned all 11 Christian TV channels airing in the country and arrested at least six cable operators for defying the order.

    PEMRA does not grant landing rights for religious content, allowing the airing of Christian messages only for Christmas and Easter.

    However, the Christian channels had been operating for over 25 years. PEMRA has now formally labelled the Christian channels as illegal, the Post reported quoting UCAnews.

  • Pak cable ops switch off BBC World News

    Pak cable ops switch off BBC World News

    NEW DELHI: Pakistani cable television operators have begun blocking the BBC‘s international news TV channel, BBC World News, reportedly in response to a documentary broadcast by the channel entitled Secret Pakistan.

    Other foreign channels broadcasting “anti-Pakistan” material have been warned that they too will be blocked.

    The BBC said it was deeply concerned by the move, and called for its channel to be speedily reinstated.
       
    “We condemn any action that threatens our editorial independence and prevents audiences from accessing our impartial international news service,” a BBC spokesperson said. “We would urge that BBC World News… to be reinstated as soon as possible.”

    The two-part BBC documentary questioned the country‘s commitment to tackling Taliban militancy. It argued that some in Pakistan were playing a double game, and quoted US intelligence officials as saying that they had acted as America‘s ally in public while secretly training and arming the Taliban in Afghanistan.

    Correspondents say the Pakistani government is likely to have put pressure on the operators to impose the ban, although Pakistan has denied this. The country‘s High Commission in London said the cable operators had taken the decision to block BBC World News on their own.

    “The government of Pakistan strictly believes in the freedom of press and media,” said a statement from the High Commission.

    The decision to block BBC World News and the warning to other international news channels came after a media uproar in Pakistan over a NATO air strike that killed 24 Pakistani troops near the Afghan border over the weekend.

    The operators called on the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) “to revoke the landing rights of foreign channels” if they were found to be “propagating” information harmful to the country.

    Correspondents say it is not possible to see BBC World News in most Pakistani cities, with the ban expected to be extended to rural areas too.

    Cable Operators Association spokesman Khalid Arain said that no anti-Pakistan foreign channel would “ever” be broadcast in the country. He said BBC World News would only be put back on air if the corporation offered assurances that it would not broadcast anything “against Pakistan”.