Television in Bangladesh
[6] Bangladesh has a total of forty television channels currently on the air, thirty-six of which are privately owned.
On 4 March 1971, PTV's Dacca television station was unofficially renamed "Dhaka Television", and on 23 March, it began showing the flag of Bangladesh and playing the national anthem of Bangladesh and several pro-Bangladesh songs, as a part of the station to join the struggle for independence from Pakistan.
In 1975, Bangladesh Television moved its studios and facilities in a newly built headquarters in Rampura.
Satellite television was introduced in Bangladesh in 1992, with over ten foreign channels having a presence in the country at the time.
Later in 2007, the caretaker government ordered several channels to shut down as they were accused of broadcasting illegally without a no-objection certificate or permission.
In 2009, Jamuna Television began test transmissions and was later shut down by the BTRC for broadcasting after its license had already expired, though it would later return to the air in 2014.
[32] During the COVID-19 pandemic, both BTV and Sangsad Television broadcast live educational lessons for primary and secondary level students.
[35] Coinciding the Bangladeshi Victory Day on 16 December 2021, business-related Spice Television began test transmissions.
[44] Shortly after the resignation of prime minister Sheikh Hasina on 5 August 2024, several television channels, primarily ones that are news-oriented, were attacked and vandalized, including Ekattor TV, DBC News, Somoy TV, Independent Television etc.
[48] On 8 August 2024, Dhaka Reporters Unity demanded immediate reinstation of all unjustly closed media outlets in Bangladesh, which included the television channels shut down under the Awami League government, while condemning the attacks on television channels.
[49] On the same day, the defunct Diganta Television was allowed to broadcast again and is slated to return to the air soon.
[51][52] The High Court of Bangladesh later suspended the order of shutting down CSB News on 23 September, allowing the channel to return to broadcasting.
On 4 November 2021, as a part of the Digital Bangladesh campaign, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting urged all cable operators to provide set-top boxes.
[57][58][59] The government later announced that the installation of set-top boxes to stream television channels will be made obligatory in all divisional and metropolitan areas by 1 June 2022.
For a brief period of time, Ekushey Television was the first and only privately owned terrestrial channel in the country and was also the first of its kind in South Asia,[15] until its closure in 2002.
[74][75] Later, on 29 July 2006, all satellite and cable television channels went off air in Bangladesh, but all besides thirteen Indian ones resumed broadcasting over time.
[76] In 2007, ten satellite television channels, including FashionTV, were banned in Bangladesh after being accused of airing obscene content.
[83][84] After failing to resolve their dispute with Jadoo Vision Ltd. and for using various excuses to avoid paying their dues, cable operators have temporarily shut Star India channels in November 2020.
[85] On 2 October 2021, cable operators in Bangladesh imposed a blackout on several foreign television channels that did not provide clean feeds, constituted in a 2006 policy.
[90] In December 2024, a writ petition was filed in the High Court calling for the ban of Indian television channels in Bangladesh.
In October 2016, the BTRC blocked internet protocol television and video on demand services in Bangladesh, which were gaining popularity among urban people, although the ban was lifted two years later in 2018.
[100] Prior to their shutdown in September 2021, around 59 IPTV channels have been broadcasting illegally in Bangladesh without valid licenses.
