TV channels enjoying full freedom, says PM

Prime Minister (PM) Sheikh Hasina said on Wednesday all the television channels in Bangladesh are enjoying full freedom, report agencies.

"All the television channels are enjoying full freedom," she said when a delegation of the Association of Television Channel Owners (ATCO) met her at the Prime Minister's Office.

PM's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed reporters after the meeting.

The Prime Minister said once Bangladesh only had one television channel, BTV (Bangladesh Television), and the Awami League government opened up this media industry to the private sector after assuming office in 1996.

The ATCO leaders said they have been sincerely working with the authorities concerned to start the full transmission of all the private television channels using the Bangabandhu Satellite-1.

They have placed some demands before the Prime Minister such as making all the TV channels as pay ones under bringing the cable TV distribution process with digitisation.

Information Minister Dr. Hasan Mahmud, PM's Adviser and owner of Independent Television Salman F Rahman, and Information Secretary Abdul Malek were present on the occasion.

Among others, ATCO Chairman and owner of Masranga Television Anjan Chowdhury, owner of the DBC Television Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, Ekattor TV Editor-in-Chief and Managing Director Mozammel Haqu Babu and Managing Director (MD) of Samoy TV Ahmed Jobair attended the meeting.