Turning a deaf ear to directive

Cable operators yet to set TV channel order on the basis of the time of their first airing dates

Flouting a governmental directive, the cable operators of the country are yet to determine the order of the TV channels on the basis of the time of their first airing dates. On December 9, 2015, commerce minister Tofail Ahmed issued a directive to the cable operators to determine and fix channel line-ups, and put local channels first in order ahead of foreign channels, especially the Indian ones, which dominate the cable channel slots. Information minister Hasanul Haq Inu also echoed the commerce minister, saying that Bangladeshi channels should be prioritised and these should come first in the line-ups. Although more than five months have passed since then, no progress has been made in this regard. At present, a total of 43 private TV channels have government approval and 24 of them are on air. The licences of two channels have been suspended.
The Independent talked to several cable operators, who said it was not possible to put all the Bangladeshi channels ahead of other foreign channels in the channel order. Mahtab Hossain, a cable TV operator who provides cable connections in Dhanmondi and Zhigatola areas, said they have already started putting Bangladeshi channels ahead of others in the channel order. “You will see that we have placed BTV in the No. 1 slot. Also, some other important local channels can be found within the top 10,” he said.
“The association asked us to put all the Bangladeshi channels from 1 to 30, based on the time of their first airing dates. We started doing that. But we immediately received complaints from our customers,” he added.
Anowar Parvez, president of the Cable Operators Association of Bangladesh (COAB), told The Independent that determining the channel order in accordance with the government directive was not possible. “The customer will not accept that, they are not accepting it already. They have lodged numerous complaints with us after we made an attempt to determine the channel order,” he said.
Parvez said the information ministry has asked them to put all the Bangladeshi channels within 1 to 30 (slots). “The problem is many television sets don’t support more than 20 to 30 channels. If we put all the Bangladeshi channels in that order, they lodge complaints with us.”
“People want to see foreign movie channels, sports channels and Indian channels. They urge us to give those, saying that otherwise they would unsubscribe from us,” he
said. Another operator, who preferred to remain unnamed, said many subscribers specifically asked them to provide more Indian channels, as they watch different TV serials on those channels.
“We have to meet the demand of our subscribers because our whole business is based upon them. If they don’t get those channels from us, then they will unsubscribe from us and go to some other operator,” said the operator.
The Independent talked to a number of people to obtain their views on the government directive of fixing channel orders and of putting Bangladeshi channel ahead of others.
Golam Morshed, a banker by profession, lauded the government initiative. He said the Indian channels and the videos channels should be stopped. “It only instigates cultural aggression. We should promote our local channels,” he added.
Hemaytul Islam, an employee of a travel agency, however, said he needs a sports channel and channels like Fox, TLC, Discovery and National Geographic. “The TV in my house can accommodate 40 channels. If 30 of these are occupied by our own channels, I will not accept this, as I need to watch other channels as well,” he added. Talking with The Independent, Shahjadi Anjuman Ara, additional secretary of the Ministry of Information, said they have repeatedly asked the cable operators to fix the order of the channels. “We have held several meetings with them about this. They said they will fix it shortly,” she said, adding that the ministry would take harsh action soon against the cable operators.
Abdul Mannan, joint secretary of the Ministry of Commerce, told The Independent that they are waiting for the list from the information ministry. “The information ministry will decide on the order of the TV channels according to their first airing dates and inform the commerce ministry accordingly. We will then direct the cable TV operators to follow it,” he said. Despite repeated attempts, commerce minister Tofail Ahmed could not be contacted for his comment on the issue.

 

Turning a deaf ear to directive

Cable operators yet to set TV channel order on the basis of the time of their first airing dates

Flouting a governmental directive, the cable operators of the country are yet to determine the order of the TV channels on the basis of the time of their first airing dates. On December 9, 2015, commerce minister Tofail Ahmed issued a directive to the cable operators to determine and fix channel line-ups, and put local channels first in order ahead of foreign channels, especially the Indian ones, which dominate the cable channel slots. Information minister Hasanul Haq Inu also echoed the commerce minister, saying that Bangladeshi channels should be prioritised and these should come first in the line-ups. Although more than five months have passed since then, no progress has been made in this regard. At present, a total of 43 private TV channels have government approval and 24 of them are on air. The licences of two channels have been suspended. The Independent talked to several cable operators, who said it was not possible to put all the Bangladeshi channels ahead of other foreign channels in the channel order. Mahtab Hossain, a cable TV operator who provides cable connections in Dhanmondi and Zhigatola areas, said they have already started putting Bangladeshi channels ahead of others in the channel order. You will see that we have placed BTV in the No. 1 slot. Also, some other important local channels can be found within the top 10, he said. The association asked us to put all the Bangladeshi channels from 1 to 30, based on the time of their first airing dates. We started doing that. But we immediately received complaints from our customers, he added. Anowar Parvez, president of the Cable Operators Association of Bangladesh (COAB), told The Independent that determining the channel order in accordance with the government directive was not possible. The customer will not accept that, they are not accepting it already. They have lodged numerous complaints with us after we made an attempt to determine the channel order, he said. Parvez said the information ministry has asked them to put all the Bangladeshi channels within 1 to 30 (slots). The problem is many television sets dont support more than 20 to 30 channels. If we put all the Bangladeshi channels in that order, they lodge complaints with us. People want to see foreign movie channels, sports channels and Indian channels. They urge us to give those, saying that otherwise they would unsubscribe from us, he said. Another operator, who preferred to remain unnamed, said many subscribers specifically asked them to provide more Indian channels, as they watch different TV serials on those channels. We have to meet the demand of our subscribers because our whole business is based upon them. If they dont get those channels from us, then they will unsubscribe from us and go to some other operator, said the operator. The Independent talked to a number of people to obtain their views on the government directive of fixing channel orders and of putting Bangladeshi channel ahead of others. Golam Morshed, a banker by profession, lauded the government initiative. He said the Indian channels and the videos channels should be stopped. It only instigates cultural aggression. We should promote our local channels, he added. Hemaytul Islam, an employee of a travel agency, however, said he needs a sports channel and channels like Fox, TLC, Discovery and National Geographic. The TV in my house can accommodate 40 channels. If 30 of these are occupied by our own channels, I will not accept this, as I need to watch other channels as well, he added. Talking with The Independent, Shahjadi Anjuman Ara, additional secretary of the Ministry of Information, said they have repeatedly asked the cable operators to fix the order of the channels. We have held several meetings with them about this. They said they will fix it shortly, she said, adding that the ministry would take harsh action soon against the cable operators. Abdul Mannan, joint secretary of the Ministry of Commerce, told The Independent that they are waiting for the list from the information ministry. The information ministry will decide on the order of the TV channels according to their first airing dates and inform the commerce ministry accordingly. We will then direct the cable TV operators to follow it, he said. Despite repeated attempts, commerce minister Tofail Ahmed could not be contacted for his comment on the issue.