TV channels losing millions of rupees daily
KARACHI – Shutting down of private TV channels in the aftermath of the proclamation of emergency has caused great revenue losses to the electronic media, The Nation has learnt.
Their revenues are falling sharply and if the ban on transmission of private channels is not lifted early, their losses would reach to alarming proportion and the livelihood of hundreds of employees of the channels would be at high risk. Since the blocking of private channels on November 3, the channels are receiving orders for the cancellation of ads which are already on air, causing huge financial loss to the channels. Inside sources of private channels told The Nation that several companies are shifting their ads on PTV and to cable TV operators running across the country due to blockage of private channels. It is learnt that the federal government had lifted ban on four channels which have signed a code of conduct prepared by the government after the imposition of emergency. There is fear in the electronic media that if the blocking of remaining private channels was not ended soon; owners of many small channels would shut down their operation rendering hundreds of their employees jobless.
A marketing executive of a private news channel told The Nation that their channel generated revenue around Rs 40 to 50 million in a month (Rs 1.33 million to Rs 1.66 million per day) but after the ban the channel they had to bear loss of Rs 1.5 million in just five days due to cancellation of local advertisement by several companies.
He said that the organization, having three to four different major TV channels, would suffer around Rs 10 million financial losses per day. Revenue losses of the ARY One World could be calculated from its rate advertisement rates, ranging from Rs10 thousands to Rs45, 000 per minute depending upon the timings of the day. It is worth to note that almost every news channel offers 10-12 hours for commercial ads daily.
An owners of a cable network who wished not to be named revealed that the high-ups in Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) told them during a meeting that ban on private channels would be lifted in coming 10 days, if the discussion with the owners of private channel successful. He said that the PEMRA high-ups were not so optimistic about the early lifting of ban.
Referring to shifting of ads on cable TV, he said that their network had been receiving much advertisement since the blockage of private channels and it looked as though this was going to be a record-breaking month in this regard. He said due to many ads they have to increase the numbers of movie channels to broadcast the advertisements.
It is learnt that private channels are paying attractive salaries to their employees and provided great opportunity of employment, it is said that thousands of persons have been inducted in these private channels since the inception of private channels in country. The government had imposed ban on around 24 Pakistani based channels including the leading channels Geo News, Aaj TV, ARY One World, Dawn News and others. After five days black out of private channels has compelled citizens to ask government that they should not block the channels in any case and if the government found it necessary then the entertainment channels should at least be re-opened. They insisted the government to come up with code of conduct and set parameters for the private channels which are breaching ethics of journalism and programmes and talk shows being telecasted by private channels which are beyond of government’s endurance.
Source: TheNation
Date:11/8/2007
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