Pemra eyes Rs4bn investment in broadcast sector
ISLAMABAD: Chairman Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) Dr Abdul Jabbar presented Pemra’s report of performance for the year 2010-11 to President Asif Ali Zardari in a meeting held at the President House.
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan and Secretary Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Taimoor Azmat were also present on the occasion.
Section 17 of Pemra (Amendment) Act-2007 ordains compilation and submission of an annual report for each financial year to the President of Pakistan and to arrange for its publication and circulation to the media and public.
While presenting the report, the chairman Pemra said as a departure from the normal practice this report is a consolidated review of the Authority’s performance during the financial year 2010-11. “We have been striving to make it a regular annual feature to keep abreast all our valued stakeholders about regulatory initiatives and their micro and macro economic impact on national landscape,” he said.
He further said that Pemra, by the end of FY 2010-11 had issued 85 licences for indigenous satellite TV. Of this 48 licences are of entertainment category, 29 news and current affairs, 06 educational TV, 01 health and 01 agro TV channel. Besides, 26 landing rights permissions have been issued to offshore channels. Similarly, 2,341 cable TV, 06 MMDS, 01 IPTV and 03 Mobile TV licences have been issued by Pemra which are contributing remarkably as catalyst of socio-political change in the society.
The report states that new vistas have opened up for investment and employment in the broadcast arena.
To a safer estimate, this buoyant sector has observed cumulative investment of about US$2.5 billion in distinct forms and has provided direct employment to more than 2,00,000 people of diversified qualification and skills whereas; about 7.00 million people have been accommodated through indirect employment. If this brisk trend continued, it is estimated that the cumulative investment would touch US$4 billion mark by the end of financial year 2011-12. Thus direct and indirect employment would tend to multiply. This has paved opportunities in allied businesses like production houses, advertising agencies, music and performing arts that had never been witnessed before.
On operational account, the Pemra report said illegal up-linking by 11 foreign news channels/agencies was stopped during Abbottabad incident in given year.
Pemra raided more than 2,000 cable TV operators during the period and about 1,200 systems were seized. Penalties worth Rs10 million were imposed. Nearly 100 foreign channels of various types being run illegally on cable networks were put off the air and notably more than 250 illegal FM radio stations preaching violence and extremism were shut down in Punjab, Sindh and mostly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Source: The News
Date:8/21/2011
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