Authorities may lift restrictions on airing Indian channels apparently to put 'some pressure' on Pak channels, which will then have to face stiff competition.
KARACHI: Amid continuous media coverage of anti-government protests over suspension of the Chief Justice, authorities here may lift restrictions on airing Indian channels apparently to put "some pressure" on Pakistani channels which will then have to face stiff competition.
Cable operators are expecting the government to lift the restrictions on airing Indian channels in a bid to put subtle pressure on the Pakistani channels which are giving lot of airtime to the anti-government protests against the suspension of Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhary.
"I think what the government is trying to do is very cleverly put some pressure on the Pakistani channels which will than have to compete hard with these Indian channels in the advertising market and also for subscription fees," a Pakistan Cable Operators Association (PCOA) official said.
The government, despite promoting a free and more tolerant media policy, has not been happy in recent weeks over the kind of coverage the Pakistani channels have given to the protests held by the opposition parties and lawyers against the suspension of Chaudhary.
A cable operator in Karachi's biggest residential area, Gulshan-e-Iqbal said they had got indications that the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) might soon issue them clearance to show Indian entertainment channels legally.
"Presently we show popular channels like Star Plus, BFU, Sony, SetMax, Star One, Sahara but illegally and by disguising them as private channels after hiding their logos on the screens," cable operator Nadeem Ahmed said.
"We can't show them legally because PEMRA had said all foreign and Indian channels need to pay fees for getting the right to be aired legally in Pakistan," he said.
The PCOA official said the indication they had got was that apparently the Indian channels had agreed to pay the royalty fees to PEMRA.
A senior producer at a leading Pakistani news channel conceded that channels like Star Plus and Sony were very popular among viewers for their soap operas and other entertainment shows like Kaun Banega Crore Pati and Indian Idol.
"If the cable operators are allowed to air the Indian channels legally and without any fear than obviously we are going to face a tough time because these channels will than start going aggressively for a share of the advertising and that will put a dent in our earnings," he said.
Despite the influx of many new Pakistani private channels, the Indian soap operas and entertainment programmes attract a huge number of viewership on prime time here.
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