Staff Reporter :
Cable operators across the country have stopped airing foreign channels in line with the government’s clean feed policy.
As a result, international news channels including BBC, CNN and all Indian channels have been blocked in Bangladesh on Friday.
According to a government decision, programmes with advertisements on foreign channels cannot be shown in Bangladesh.
SM Anwar Parvez, founding president of the Cable Operators Association of Bangladesh (COAB), said foreign channels that broadcast programmes with advertisements as per government guidelines cannot be shown in the country and so they have stopped airing it.
He said if the government gives any new instructions or steps in the future then they will take action accordingly.
Eralier, the the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting issued an instruction saying that foreign channels with advertisements will not be allowed to broadcast in Bangladesh from Friday.
Against the backdrop of this directive, the mobile court raided the offices of two cable operators in Dhaka on Friday.
UNB adds: Starting Friday, mobile courts will carry out drives to ensure cable operators broadcast advertisement-free foreign TV channels in Bangladesh.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud made the announcement on Thursday. “We will conduct mobile courts from October 1 across the country. If the serial determined for television on cable lines at the tripartite meeting of the Ministry, the Television Owners’ Association and cable operators is not maintained and advertisements are shown, legal action will be taken against the distributors, operators who have the downlink approval of those channels,” he told reporters.
In countries like India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, “the cable operators can’t broadcast foreign TV channels without clean feed”, the Minister said.
“The operators were already informed in August about the drive. The excuse of foreign channels not sending clean feeds will no longer be tolerated,” he added.
Cable operators across the country have stopped airing foreign channels in line with the government’s clean feed policy.
As a result, international news channels including BBC, CNN and all Indian channels have been blocked in Bangladesh on Friday.
According to a government decision, programmes with advertisements on foreign channels cannot be shown in Bangladesh.
SM Anwar Parvez, founding president of the Cable Operators Association of Bangladesh (COAB), said foreign channels that broadcast programmes with advertisements as per government guidelines cannot be shown in the country and so they have stopped airing it.
He said if the government gives any new instructions or steps in the future then they will take action accordingly.
Eralier, the the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting issued an instruction saying that foreign channels with advertisements will not be allowed to broadcast in Bangladesh from Friday.
Against the backdrop of this directive, the mobile court raided the offices of two cable operators in Dhaka on Friday.
UNB adds: Starting Friday, mobile courts will carry out drives to ensure cable operators broadcast advertisement-free foreign TV channels in Bangladesh.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud made the announcement on Thursday. “We will conduct mobile courts from October 1 across the country. If the serial determined for television on cable lines at the tripartite meeting of the Ministry, the Television Owners’ Association and cable operators is not maintained and advertisements are shown, legal action will be taken against the distributors, operators who have the downlink approval of those channels,” he told reporters.
In countries like India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, “the cable operators can’t broadcast foreign TV channels without clean feed”, the Minister said.
“The operators were already informed in August about the drive. The excuse of foreign channels not sending clean feeds will no longer be tolerated,” he added.
