In West Bengal, a cricket broadcast reignites nostalgia for BTV

On 20 April, Amitava Banerjee, a resident of West Bengal, shared his memories in the Facebook group 'Time Machine – '80s & '90s Memory (The Nostalgic Golden Time)'. 

"Really after many decades, nearly about 35 years, I am watching Bangladesh Television (BTV) today. Remember when we used the TV booster in our rooftop antenna to watch the channel? The BTV logo has reminded me of the 1990s era today in 2025."

What prompted him to tune into BTV again, albeit through an unauthorised sports streaming app, was rather unusual. The first Test match of the ongoing Bangladesh-Zimbabwe bilateral series was being aired exclusively on BTV.

Thus, while the BTV-only broadcast sparked frustration among Bangladeshi cricket fans both at home and abroad, it unexpectedly reignited a wave of nostalgia among viewers in neighbouring Indian states — reminding them of a time when BTV was a regular fixture in their living rooms.

Debashish Chakrabarty, a resident of Kolkata who is now nearing his 60s, reminisced about the era while speaking to The Business Standard. 

"In Kolkata, during the late '80s and early '90s, colour television sets were not very common in Bangali households. We mainly watched DD One and DD Two on our black and white televisions. Some homes also had a booster box connected to the roof antenna. Turning it on allowed us to watch Bangladesh Television in our homes," he said.

He fondly recalled how, in the evenings, neighbours would gather at houses with colour TVs to watch certain Bangladeshi dramas.

"Everyone would enjoy dramas like Songsoptok, Bohubrihi, Kothao Keu Nei and Aaj Robibar. It was through these shows that we first came to know the names of literary greats like Shahidullah Kaiser and Humayun Ahmed," he added. 

"The calm, understated charm of Bangladeshi dramas back then was in no way inferior to Kolkata's finest art films. In fact, their simplicity and authenticity made them feel more intimate and relatable."

For Chakrabarty, however, the most eagerly awaited programme was Hanif Sanket's iconic Ityadi. 

In Kolkata during the late '80s and early '90s, colour television sets were not very common in Bangali households. We mainly watched DD One and DD Two on our black and white televisions. Some homes also had a booster box connected to the roof antenna. Turning it on allowed us to watch BTV in our homes.

Debashish Chakrabarty, a resident of Kolkata

"Hanif Sanket's presentation in Ityadi was unique; he would speak in a rhythmic style. He addressed various harsh social realities through his impeccable humour. As viewers, we really enjoyed watching those. Many of the programme's themes might have been contemporary to Bangladesh, but as residents of Kolkata, we could also connect with them on a personal level," he said.

Meanwhile, for those who are a bit younger — now in their mid-30s — the main attraction of BTV in the '90s was often the English series it broadcast. 

Ashutosh Adhikari, for instance, mentioned that his favourites included MacGyver, The Adventures of Sinbad, Knight Rider, The Sword of Tipu Sultan, The X-Files, and more.

Shirshendu Das, another Kolkata native who now lives in the US, shared a different kind of memory about watching BTV — one that shows just how far people would go to tune into the channel.

"Before the 1986 FIFA World Cup, words were spread that Doordarshan would not telecast the matches. But BTV would definitely show them. And what did we have to do to watch BTV? We had to buy a booster," Das recalled.

To catch Kolkata Doordarshan, rooftop antennas had to face Tollygunge. But to access BTV's signal, the antennas had to be turned eastward — towards Bangladesh. And while the BTV picture quality was slightly clearer at night, during the day it was mostly fuzzy. So, if anyone wanted a seamless viewing experience, a booster was not just helpful — it was essential.

As the World Cup approached, an unprecedented excitement swept through the city. Those who could afford it rushed to buy TV boosters. And despite being sold at double or even triple the regular price, thousands of boosters flew off the shelves within just a few weeks.

The real twist came when the central government, seeing the immense interest from the public in watching the World Cup, decided to broadcast the matches live on Doordarshan after all.

"After this, many who had bought boosters at a higher price beforehand were left banging their heads," Shirshendu Das said with a chuckle. "However, personally, after watching BTV for a few months, I felt my money was well spent. Unlike our own channels, BTV provided a more diverse catalogue of programmes for audiences of all ages.

"What was occasionally irritating, however, was the frequent interruption of programmes for news bulletins, which primarily focused on praising President Hussain Muhammad Ershad. Yet, at a certain point, even this news became a source of amusement for us," he added.

Anindita Banerjee from Jalpaiguri said that during their childhood in the early '90s, Indian TV channels were not available in most parts of North Bengal. "At that time, BTV was our only hope. So, those of us who used to watch BTV seemed to have a better knowledge about Bangladesh than our own country."

Moreover, BTV's popularity stretched beyond just West Bengal. It was also greatly popular in some other Indian states like Assam, Tripura and Meghalaya, who share borders with Bangladesh.

For example, Bangla-speaking Tumpa Paul from Tripura recalled, "In the '90s, many people in our area used to watch BTV. We didn't have a separate booster, but being in a border area, BTV would often come in a scrambled signal. Sometimes, we enjoyed Bangladeshi programmes not only more than Kolkata's TV channels but even more than our own TV channels."

From the late 90s onwards, private satellite channels began to emerge one after another in India. With this influx, BTV gradually started to lose its appeal. In the late 90s and early 2000s, a few Bangladeshi channels like Channel i and ATN Bangla were briefly available in India. 

But for many years now, Bangladeshi channels have been largely absent from Indian screens. As a result, most Indians today remain unfamiliar with the richness of Bangladeshi popular culture.

Of course, that does not mean no one in India watches Bangladeshi content. Thanks to YouTube, dramas starring actors like Apurba, Nisho, Mosharraf Karim, and Chanchal Chowdhury still enjoy good popularity in Kolkata. 

The comment sections on YouTube are often filled with viewers from West Bengal sharing their thoughts on Bangladeshi content. In recent years, such content has also found growing popularity in the region due to joint venture films and OTT platforms like Hoichoi and Chorki.

"Today's production standards might not match the quality of the programmes and dramas aired on BTV in the '80s and '90s, but even now, Bangladeshi content stands out in many ways compared to West Bengal's daily soaps or formulaic detective series," said Debashish Chakraborty.

"To keep up with Bangladesh, West Bengal has now begun creating similar content — stories rooted in our own cultural heritage instead of copying trends from other Indian states. But it's a shame that the cultural exchange between the two countries didn't continue. If it had, both sides could have benefited, and the overall standard of content might have reached greater heights," he concluded.