Operators resume airing of 24 foreign TV channels  | The Business Standard
Skip to main content
  • Latest
  • Economy
    • Banking
    • Stocks
    • Industry
    • Analysis
    • Bazaar
    • RMG
    • Corporates
    • Aviation
  • Videos
    • TBS Today
    • TBS Stories
    • TBS World
    • News of the day
    • TBS Programs
    • Podcast
    • Editor's Pick
  • World+Biz
  • Features
    • Panorama
    • The Big Picture
    • Pursuit
    • Habitat
    • Thoughts
    • Splash
    • Mode
    • Tech
    • Explorer
    • Brands
    • In Focus
    • Book Review
    • Earth
    • Food
    • Luxury
    • Wheels
  • Subscribe
    • Epaper
    • GOVT. Ad
  • More
    • Sports
    • TBS Graduates
    • Bangladesh
    • Supplement
    • Infograph
    • Archive
    • Gallery
    • Long Read
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Magazine
    • Climate Change
    • Health
    • Cartoons
  • বাংলা
The Business Standard

Saturday
July 12, 2025

Sign In
Subscribe
  • Latest
  • Economy
    • Banking
    • Stocks
    • Industry
    • Analysis
    • Bazaar
    • RMG
    • Corporates
    • Aviation
  • Videos
    • TBS Today
    • TBS Stories
    • TBS World
    • News of the day
    • TBS Programs
    • Podcast
    • Editor's Pick
  • World+Biz
  • Features
    • Panorama
    • The Big Picture
    • Pursuit
    • Habitat
    • Thoughts
    • Splash
    • Mode
    • Tech
    • Explorer
    • Brands
    • In Focus
    • Book Review
    • Earth
    • Food
    • Luxury
    • Wheels
  • Subscribe
    • Epaper
    • GOVT. Ad
  • More
    • Sports
    • TBS Graduates
    • Bangladesh
    • Supplement
    • Infograph
    • Archive
    • Gallery
    • Long Read
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Magazine
    • Climate Change
    • Health
    • Cartoons
  • বাংলা
SATURDAY, JULY 12, 2025
Operators resume airing of 24 foreign TV channels 

Bangladesh

TBS Report
06 October, 2021, 10:40 am
Last modified: 06 October, 2021, 10:44 am

Related News

  • Bangladesh, Malaysia to jointly investigate militancy allegations involving Bangladeshi nationals
  • 4 arrested, 2 remanded over brutal killing of trader near Mitford Hospital
  • 2nd round of US-Bangladesh tariff talks set to conclude today as business leaders await breakthrough
  • Tripura HC disposes PIL seeking action on cross-border infiltration from Bangladesh, Myanmar
  • 35% tariff: Commerce adviser meets US trade representative in Washington

Operators resume airing of 24 foreign TV channels 

TBS Report
06 October, 2021, 10:40 am
Last modified: 06 October, 2021, 10:44 am
Operators resume airing of 24 foreign TV channels 

Total 24 foreign TV channels have been allowed to resume broadcasting in Bangladesh as they are providing a "clean feed" as per the country's rules and regulations.

Channels including, CNN, BBC, Al Jazeera, Star Sports, Deutsche Welle, Ten Sports, and National Geographic became available to its viewers in Bangladesh from Tuesday morning, reports media.

The country's cable operators had stopped broadcasting foreign TV channels with clean feeds alongside those with advertisements on Friday following directives from the government.

The Business Standard Google News Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel

"We have been told to resume airing the 24 channels after the ministry cleared them on Monday," several media reports quoted Nizam Uddin Masud, a former secretary general of the Cable Operators' Association of Bangladesh (COAB). 

Earlier on Monday, Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud said there is no bar to operate the 24 foreign channels that have clean feed.
The next day he said that the government will launch mobile court drive again from Wednesday to ensure that ad-free foreign TV channels get back to air.

"Mobile court drives will be conducted again from Wednesday to check whether foreign channels having clean feed are being broadcast in the country," he told a delegation of Broadcast Journalist Centre (BJC) at the Secretariat.

Earlier on 1 October, mobile courts, under the direction of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, started operations to implement ad-free or clean-feed broadcasting of foreign TV channels.

Section 19 of the Cable Television Network Management Act, 2006 prohibits the broadcasting of advertisements through any foreign TV channels for the viewers of Bangladesh.

Why broadcasting is shut

Basically, the government's decision came following pressure from local private TV channels. According to local channel owners, this step of the government will end the opportunity for foreign channels to broadcast advertising without having to pay taxes in Bangladesh.

Private TV channel Ekattor TV Managing Director, Mozzamel Babu, said, "The law which prohibits foreign TV channels from broadcasting advertising is a 15-year-old law. A similar system of clean feed broadcasting is active in many countries, including neighbouring Nepal."

"We have been trying for many years to implement the same here. Now that broadcast is shut down, they will shortly provide clean feed," he added.
He also said, neither the Government of Bangladesh nor the National Board of Revenue (NBR) gets any revenue for the advertising on foreign channels.

"On the one hand, the government does not get any revenue from advertisements aired on foreign channels, while many multi-national companies have chosen foreign channels to promote their products in Bangladesh as they are popular in Bangladesh," he said.

The ad market

Television accounts for the biggest chunk of the entire advertisement market of the country.   While there are no precise statistics on the size of Bangladesh's advertising market in terms of monetary value, according to some advertising firms, this market is valued approximately at some 350 million dollars, or three thousand crore taka, per year.

From the entire advertising market, the government gets 15% in VAT. Last year, the government received nearly 190 crore taka in VAT from this sector, according to NRB officials.

Top News

TV / Bangladesh / Cable Operators Association of Bangladesh (COAB) / Information Ministry

Comments

While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderation decisions are subjective. Published comments are readers’ own views and The Business Standard does not endorse any of the readers’ comments.

Top Stories

  • Representational image
    In addition to 35% tariff, US demands 40% local value addition for 'Made in Bangladesh' goods
  • Kunming rising: China's emerging healthcare hub draws Bangladeshi patients
    Kunming rising: China's emerging healthcare hub draws Bangladeshi patients
  • Photo: Courtesy
    4 arrested, 2 remanded over brutal killing of trader near Mitford Hospital

MOST VIEWED

  • In terms of stream of education, girls maintained their excellence as well. Photo: TBS
    SSC 2025: Girls dominate boys by over 5%
  • Photo: Mohammad Minhaj Uddin/TBS
    SSC, equivalent results: Pass rate drops to 68.45%, GPA-5 also declines
  • The overall pass rate across all boards this year, 68.45%, is significantly lower than last year's. Photo: Focus Bangla
    SSC 2025: Rajshahi board records highest pass rate, Barishal lowest
  • How S Alam’s Global Islami Bank cooked Tk2,259cr loss into Tk128cr profit
    How S Alam’s Global Islami Bank cooked Tk2,259cr loss into Tk128cr profit
  • Representational image. Photo: TBS
    SSC 2025: 73.63% pass rate among technical students, 68.09% at Madrasahs
  • Economist Abul Barkat; Photo: Courtesy
    Economist Abul Barkat arrested in graft case

Related News

  • Bangladesh, Malaysia to jointly investigate militancy allegations involving Bangladeshi nationals
  • 4 arrested, 2 remanded over brutal killing of trader near Mitford Hospital
  • 2nd round of US-Bangladesh tariff talks set to conclude today as business leaders await breakthrough
  • Tripura HC disposes PIL seeking action on cross-border infiltration from Bangladesh, Myanmar
  • 35% tariff: Commerce adviser meets US trade representative in Washington

Features

Kunming rising: China's emerging healthcare hub draws Bangladeshi patients

Kunming rising: China's emerging healthcare hub draws Bangladeshi patients

7h | Panorama
Photo: Collected/BBC

What Hitler’s tariff policy misfire can teach the modern world

1d | The Big Picture
Illustration: TBS

Behind closed doors: Why women in Bangladesh stay in abusive marriages

1d | Panorama
Purbachl’s 144-acre Sal forest is an essential part of the area’s biodiversity. Within it, 128 species of plants and 74 species of animals — many of them endangered — have been identified. Photo: Syed Zakir Hossain/TBS

A forest saved: Inside the restoration of Purbachal's last Sal grove

1d | Panorama

More Videos from TBS

Renowned economist Abul Barkat imprisoned

Renowned economist Abul Barkat imprisoned

6h | TBS Today
All of Iran's uranium still intact, Israel claims

All of Iran's uranium still intact, Israel claims

5h | TBS World
Trump-Netanyahu in new strategy on Gaza issue

Trump-Netanyahu in new strategy on Gaza issue

7h | TBS World
Shocking science: why birds stay safe on electricity lines

Shocking science: why birds stay safe on electricity lines

8h | TBS Stories
EMAIL US
contact@tbsnews.net
FOLLOW US
WHATSAPP
+880 1847416158
The Business Standard
  • About Us
  • Contact us
  • Sitemap
  • Advertisement
  • Privacy Policy
  • Comment Policy
Copyright © 2025
The Business Standard All rights reserved
Technical Partner: RSI Lab

Contact Us

The Business Standard

Main Office -4/A, Eskaton Garden, Dhaka- 1000

Phone: +8801847 416158 - 59

Send Opinion articles to - oped.tbs@gmail.com

For advertisement- sales@tbsnews.net