PTV is the state television of Pakistan, which was formed in 1964. Since then the company has grown into a massive television broadcaster with 6,000 employees. The station’s channels include PTV Home, PTV Global, PTV National, PTV News and PTV Sports. They air programs in Urdu and English as well as in local languages spoken in various regions of Pakistan.
Media assets
Television: PTV News, PTV Home, PTV Sports, PTV World, PTV National, AJK TV, PTV Bolan, PTV Global, PTV Parliament
State Media Matrix Typology: Captured Public/State-Managed (CaPu)
Ownership and governance
PTV is a limited liability company fully owned by the Pakistani Government. Like PBC, PTV is operated as a department of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
PTV’s supreme governing structure is its board of directors that is appointed by the Federal Government. The Managing Director of PTV is also appointed by the government.
Source of funding and budget
In 2019, PTV operated with a total budget of PKR 11.1bn (US$ 61.9m). Over 71% of that was accounted for by revenues generated through the collection of a license fee that is attached to the electricity bill paid by households and companies, a form of funding that is expected to prevent, to some extent, pressures from the government.
In 2020, the license fee was raised from PKR 35 (US$ 0.20) to PKR 60 (US$ 0.35) a month. In the fiscal year 2020-2021, PTV earned revenues from ad worth some PKR 1.3bn, a high record. Yet, the broadcaster has in the same period liabilities of PKR 19.41bn.In the 2022 fiscal year, the government earmarked nearly PKR 700m (US$ 4.1m) to PTV.
Editorial independence
The analysis of the editorial independence at PBC is valid also for PTV as the state media in Pakistan have been treated in a similar manner by authorities for years. PTV has been known for decades as a government mouthpiece. In spite of a moment of enthusiasm in 2018 when the Prime Minister promised to lift the censorship rules that were imposed on the state media, the situation has not improved, PTV continuing to operate as an official state media outlet whose mission is primarily to help disseminate information about the government.
There is no domestic statute and no independent assessment or oversight mechanism that would validate the independence of PTV.
September 2023