E-Paper
Pak cable guys want Indian channels!
Cable operators in Pakistan are threatening to black out local channels unless they are allowed to air Indian TV networks.
Cable operators in Pakistan have declared war against the government: they are threatening to black out local channels unless they are allowed to air the hugely popular Indian TV networks.
"We are saying so because of repeated demands by our clients to air Indian and other international channels," an exasperated Khaled Chaudhry, vice chairman of the Cable-Operators Association of Pakistan (CAP), told the agency.
Having already banned Indian channels, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) last month warned cable operators not to air Indian and other "outlawed" channels.
PEMRA listed 35 proscribed channels including 14 from India.
Chaudhry is reluctant to admit it, but almost 90 per cent of all cable operators in Pakistan relay Indian channels.
More than 9,000 cable operators are registered with PEMRA and almost a similar number operate illegally all over the country. Cable TV reaches over 10 per cent of the population in Pakistan, and is a popular form of entertainment in middle class homes.
Chaudhry said the business of registered cable operators was suffering because of the government ban as clients were switching over to illegal operators who do not go by PEMRA directives and continue to show Indian television channels.
"They (illegal operators) are airing whatever is being demanded by the clients," he said.
If PEMRA failed to lift the ban, the operators would be forced to "take extreme action by blocking Pakistani channels", Chaudhry warned.
Indian television serials and movies are hugely popular with Pakistanis, with almost every Pakistani keenly following soaps like "Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi" and the like.
PEMRA officials say they have instructions from the government not to air Indian and some adult channels.
PEMRA, which works under the interior ministry, has sweeping powers to regulate satellite channels. It has imposed and withdrawn bans on cable operators since satellite TV was introduced in the 1990s.
Cable operators complain that they do their business in a permanent state of insecurity, knowing that PEMRA can snatch their livelihood any time. Some Indian channels, STAR Plus in particular, are the main source of revenues for these operators.
"We are also under tremendous pressure by Pakistani channels, which are our licensees, not to allow the Indian channels," said a PEMRA official, requesting not to be named.
He said private channels like ARY, owned by an influential business house in Dubai, the GEO channel owned by Jang Group and others have asked PEMRA to block Indian channels.
"Pakistan is a small business market as compared to India's. If we allow Indian channels, most Pakistani advertisers would prefer to go to them because of cheaper rates," said Faheem Ahmed, a marketing manager with APNA television.
Local media owners have formed their own group called the Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA).
The PBA is faced with a dilemma. On the one hand, it has to oppose Indian channels to attract business while it seeks good relations with cable operators who insist the ban on Indian channels be lifted.
"We are being pushed by both the religious elements and Pakistani channel owners to continue the ban on Indian channels while the advertisers and cable operators want the Indian channels to be allowed," said the PEMRA official.
India and Pakistan began normalising bilateral ties in 2003, rapidly expanding people-to-people links.
"We thought after the normalisation of relations, PEMRA would allow the Indian channels. But they are being blackmailed by local channels," rued Chaudhry. His association had urged President Pervez Musharraf to intervene.
