Government TV Channels
Television in Pakistan was first introduced in Lahore during 1964, with Government ownership of the PTV network providing entertainment for families with popular serials and on-air cartoons for the children. Originally, PTV was filmed in black and white, but in 1979 this was available in colour as well. Programs are now available as both terrestrial analogue TV and satellite digital television. Despite being owned and run by the Pakistan Government, private revenue is raised to provide funds for the PTV channels by charging a monthly fee to electricity consumers. The various channels available on PTV are: PTV Home; PTV News; PTV Global; PTV National; PTV Bolan, providing programs in the Baluchi language; and AJK TV where programs are broadcast relating to Pakistani Kashmir. Apart from entertainment for its own sake, the Government-run PTV was intended to be a vehicle by which the population of the country of Pakistan was educated through the medium of entertainment-linked programs such as the popular ‘soaps’ that run in serial format.
These drama programs provide enhanced awareness of Pakistani heritage, current affairs, more recent developments as well as an insight into the people’s history and their place within the outside world. This importance continues to be highlighted in the family orientated nature of PTV’s main programs, all of which are based on the eastern ethos and cater specifically to the tastes of their Pakistani audience. PTV’s general programming policies continue to be devoted to social responsibility issues such as the morality and responsibilities of its citizens, together with other issues important to the modern Pakistan such as agricultural policies, environmental issues, the eco-friendly movement and preventing the movement of drugs becoming widespread.
PTV News Division provides regular news updates in Urdu, English, the Kashmiri languages, and Arabic, beamed around the world by satellite to keep interested ex-pats updated with the news occurring on a daily basis ‘back home’. Regional news programs are also broadcast from Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta, with newa items being provided in the regional languages that include Punjabi, Sindhi, Pushto, Hindko, Baluchi, and Bravi. A permanent news bureau has been established in AJK to be on hand to collect and collate news items relating specifically to the affairs of Kashmir and Afghanistan and the latest developments relating to the people living there.
Private TV Channels
When it comes to private TV channels there is a range of choice available, disseminated through either cable or satellite. These channels a variety of programs issued by GEO TV which include news programs from beamed around the world; Express News; ARY that includes entertainment, news, food and religious news and views, plus various subsidiaries of ARY such as HBO International which has a range of movies to view, and NICK International which is specifically for kids; The AAJ Network that includes the Play TV providing music and lifestyle; M/s Air Waves Media [Pvt.] Ltd, which issues a number of channels designed to inform and entertain; plus many more channels available. Amongst all of these channels currently available, Pakistan is well served by the media of television for both its audiences at home and those living many miles away from home, in other countries around the world.