PEMRA Starts Crackdown Against Indian Channels, DTH Services in Pakistan

Starting October 15th, 2016, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority started a crackdown against cable operators that were showing Indian channels through Indian DTH in Pakistan.

PEMRA had earlier issued a deadline of October 15th, 2016 after which all Indian DTH services and Indian Channels were supposed to go off-air.

In a statement issued today, PEMRA said all cable operators are being monitored for airing any Indian Channels through DTH or otherwise. “Only channels with landing rights are allowed to be shown in Pakistan”, said the statement.

PEMRA enforcement teams, along with police, raided various cable operators and confiscated any Indian DTH receivers, equipment.

PEMRA said that more than 90% cable operators had already shut-down Indian DTH services while remaining are being raided to ensure that no DTH operator is showing Indian channels to their customers.

PEMRA said that it will be cancelling the licenses of Cable TV operators for any violations.

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PEMRA Enforcement Teams Confiscating Indian DTH Equipment

It maybe recalled that only following foreign channels have landing rights in Pakistan:

  • CNN
  • Cartoon Network
  • Nickelodeon (The case is subjudice)
  • HBO (The case is subjudice)
  • The Musik (The case is subjudice)
  • Ten Sports
  • BBC
  • Urdu1 (Request for renewal being evaluated)
  • WB
  • AXN (Request for renewal being evaluated)
  • Filmax (The case is subjudice)
  • Silver Screen (The case is subjudice)
  • Satlite TV (The case is subjudice)
  • DW TV
  • Lights Asia
  • Discovery
  • Animal Planet
  • Afghan TV
  • DM Digital Global
  • Toonami
  • CCTV News
  • CCTV-9 Documentary
  • Cinemachi Kids

No other Indian or any other foreign channel is allowed for broadcast in Pakistan.

PEMRA said that its team have already completed the visits in Peshawar, Nowshera, Mardan, Charsadda, Kohat, D.I.Khan, Hazara Region, Karachi, Lahore, Hyderabad, Sukker, Larkana, Tando Allahyar, Mirpur Khas, Sialkot, Norowal, Gujrat, Hafizabad, Sheikhupura, Faisalabad, Multan, Bahawalpur, Liyya, Lodhran, Muzaffargarh, Jehlum, Attock, Rawalpindi, Chakwal, Okara, Attock and Kasur.

It maybe recalled that TV channels are also asked to not to air Indian, foreign content more than the allowed limit of 6% Indian and 4% English content in a day.

Similarly FM radio channels are also limited to not to air Indian, foreign content more than the allowed limit.

PEMRA said that any violation by TV channels, FM radio channels will be dealt strictly.

 


  • Why in the seven hells even 6% of indian content is allowed? Does India allowed their channels to show same percent of Pakistani contents? Hell No!

    • Funny thing is when I googled phrase “seven hells” I found a TV show that has lots of violence and nudity. So you can see the irony of someone complaining about foreign content in Pakistan when they are willingly watching it using torrents or DVDs.

      For some reason western nudity is preferable to indian shows for you, somehow you think latter is more corrupting LOL

      • Yes I taken that dialough from GOT. But Torrent is something not available on TV for every household. One can not restrict Internet at all. And youtube is full of foreign contents.
        Here we are talking about license terms not my choice.

        • And if Indian media is banned, do you seriously believe people will not turn to torrents to watch their shows? So how will that ban help?

          Same situation as Youtube ban.

          • Again its not about availability of content. Contents are available everywhere on internet. And as I described earlier Internet cannot be restricted. Its about terms of licenses. If India didn’t allow their channels to show Pak content why PEMRA is allowing to Pakistani Channels? Simple

            • First of all you make two assumptions here:

              1. That India bans Pakistani content. This is NOT TRUE, since for years at least one Zee TV station was showing Hamsafar and other Pakistani drams. What is banned is some Pakistani CHANNELS but the dramas and shows are aired on Indian channels through separate agreement.

              2. That we have content that Indians want to see. You forget that Urdu/Hindi are not even used all over India (India has something like 14 national languages), so there is not a huge market even for TV stations that air Pakistani shows. Unless someone wants to dub Pakistani shows into Telugu or Bengali

  • Again, I have to bring up the PTA angle. Since some channels offer also paid digital transmission over internet, will PTA start blocking websites of channels without landing rights? Will FBR go after credit card payments of channels like that?

    After all, what is the realistic difference now between DTH and IP ( Internet Protocol) reception of such channels? If it is illegal (according to PEMRA) for PERSONAL HOME RECEPTION of channels on Indian DTH, then how long before PTA joins in and bans PERSONAL HOME RECEPTION of Al Jazeera News (for example)?

    • Not everyone have access to fast & stable internet connection, but yes PTA & Pemra can block unlicensed ip tv .

        • If they are also going to ban the websites showing indian channels then dont you think that there are many other ways to regain access to those blocked or restricted websites i.e in the past few years youtube was banned in pakistan but everyone was using it in one way or another. Pemra must have to upgrade their system to completely get rid of indian shitttt….!!!

          • You mean PTA must have to upgrade. Rest assured, they already have the capability to do deep packet inspection, and block VPN.

  • Dish tv wale Anwar Jani tak ko utha liya gaya hai Saddar Karachi se. Woh bechara phone tak nahi uthà raha. Anwar Jani ka kia kasoor hai?

  • Good effort by PEMRA, must not allow any Indian Content on Tv Channels , lets give a chance to Pakistani actors, producers, singers, directors and all related to entertainment industry. And as demand will increase the 3 sports chanles will also start showing sports which fans want to view.

  • Conntent on Channels like Film World, Filmazia Entertainment, ARY Zindagi, GEO Kahani , Urdu 1 & AXN Pakistan (i guess thats only a tag) must be checked

    • Those are foreign channels (though owned by Pakistanis) with landing rights in Pakistan. Their content cannot be banned.

      • Why not? PEMRA can go after geo and shut it down for 15 days you think they cannot do anything about entertainment channels???

      • Its simple either these channels comply with Pemra’s terms or lose landing rights.

  • were they asleep since the past decade when these receivers/dishes were being sold openly across the country? its only when the DTH auction is around the corner that they suddenly decided to crack down? and if indian content is so bad, when are they planning on removing pirated dvd’s etc from shops? lets do away with all things indian then, no?

    also, when will netflix be banned?, afterall It has Indian movies on it. When will they crack down on nayatel which uploads each and every torrent the second it is released, indian or otherwise.

    is it just the mode of content delivery that they are cracking down against? if so, the timing is so darn convenient.

    • Before stop channels Govt. stop their business to india. DD Free Dish its not possible to stop and cline services are still running for Indian DTH no way stop indian content

  • I want to watch football matches on the weekend. PTV doesn’t broadcast all the matches. What I am supposed to do now?

  • So channel owners wins in the end 6% content allows so why u ban DTH as a sports lover i will not able to see outside asia cricket matches on tv not even football leagues if u don’t have no backup so why u banned it is ind allowed even 2% your content on their dth NO what a shame pemra if u have guts stop 6% also otherwise allow their DTH also ?

  • What’s the use of cracking down users when cable operators and TV channels are still broadcasting banned content and percentage is still far above 6% I.e UpTo 30% that too during prime time.

  • Many people are saying that its good to block Indian content.. That would be good if we had good alternatives. Paksitani channels are all old people fighting in news channels and crying women in drama channels.. Its really trash quality.
    Secondly we lost plenty of movies and sports channels (Star and Ten 2 & Golf)..Even the Disney channels that were taken from India’s DTH have been blocked..


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