Foreign TV Channels: No bar to airing 24 ad-free ones

Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud yesterday said there was no bar to air the 24 ad-free foreign channels.

"Some 24 foreign channels have clean feeds and there is no bar to air those channels. Akash DTH is operating the channels and others can do so. If there is any need of sending letters regarding the issue then we can give it to the cable operators," he said.

Hasan was exchanging with Association of Television Channel Owners (ATCO) at a meeting held at the secretariat.

The minister also urged the cable operators to refrain from violating the laws.

"A vested quarter is involved in spreading rumours about the clean feed. The government is firm in implementing the law and we have enacted the law for the sake of the people, the media industry, and artists," he said.

Mobile courts started operating from October 1 under the direction of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to implement ad-free or clean feed broadcasting of foreign channels in accordance with Cable Network Operation Act, 2006.

However, cable operators have halted broadcast of all foreign satellite channels from the same day saying that broadcasting ad-free programmes was technically not possible.