The Prime Minister’s adviser on private industries and investment as well as the outgoing president of the Association of Television Channel Owners (ATCO), Salman F Rahman, yesterday said that no decision has been taken yet to stop transmission of any foreign TV channel. He also said if any foreign or national TV channel violates the law, the government will enforce it as per regulation. ATCO will always welcome the government's decision, he added. Rahman was speaking at a press conference after an executive meeting of ATCO at his Gulsan office in the capital yesterday (Thursday).   

At the meeting, ATCO leaders elected Anjan Chowdhury, managing director of Maasranga Television, as their new president for three years. Ekattor TV managing director Mozammel Babu and Desh TV deputy managing director Arif Hasan were elected senior vice-president and vice-president, respectively. Rahman congratulated the newly elected president and other executive members of ATCO. He urged them to discharge their duties to develop the TV industry. He said as an adviser on private industries and investment to the Prime Minister, he will support the association to go forward.

Leaders of the organisation said the number of private TV channels is increasing, but their income sources have not grown accordingly.  Besides, a large portion of advertisements is going to foreign channels.  Under the circumstances, the decision to stop advertising of Bangladeshi products on foreign channels is appreciable, they said.

They urged the government to take action against those who spread rumors about stopping of foreign channels instead of saying that advertisements had been stopped.

Anjan Chowdhury, newly elected president of ATCO, sought the support of all executive members to run the association. Mozammel Babu said ATCO will support all decisions taken by the government regarding current issues.

The Cable Television Network Act prohibits airing of advertisements of local products on downlinked foreign channels. But this issue came to light when local advertisements were being aired on foreign TV channels broadcast in Bangladesh, which is against the regulation. The information ministry has served several notices urging all cable operators to stop airing Bangladeshi advertisements on downlinked foreign channels from April 1.