11 more TV channels ready to go on air

At least 11 more TV channels are ready to go on air after they get frequencies from the telecom regulator.
A Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission official said the 11 channels received licences in 2013 and 2014.
Frequencies would be allocated after intelligence agencies clear the channels for going on air, said Sarwar Alam, secretary and spokesperson of the regulator.
According to the annual report of the information ministry, it issued 16 new private satellite channel licences in the fiscal year of 2013-14 alone. Some of the 16 are yet to apply for spectrum, said its official.
The new channels are: Bangla TV, Channel 21, Utshav TV, Renaissance TV, Dhaka Bangla TV, News 24, Amar Gan TV, Cambrian TV, New Vision TV, Rangdhonu TV, Green TV, ATV, Jadu TV, Titash TV, and East-West Media, according to the website of the information ministry.
Currently, 25 channels are airing and the broadcast of Channel 16, Diganta TV, Islamic TV, CSB news and Channel 1 has been suspended, said a BTRC official.
Monjurul Ahsan Bulbul, a veteran journalist and editor-in-chief of Baishakhi TV, said competition is fierce among TV stations in Bangladesh. If the new channels could introduce innovative content, use the latest technology effectively and diversify their presentation, they would survive.