Photo Source: PEMRA website
On Aug 11, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) awarded 42 district-level cable television licences to 20 companies across 37 districts — marking the first time such licences have been issued in the country’s history.
The initiative, launched in February 2025, invited applications through advertisements in national newspapers, PEMRA’s official website, and announcements on television channels, FM radio, and cable networks. In response, 36 companies from various parts of the country submitted a total of 91 applications.
Competitive bidding was held in nine districts — Mianwali, Sialkot, Swat, Abbottabad, Muzaffargarh, Sahiwal, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, and Attock — while in 44 districts, where only one or two applications were received, offer letters were issued without auctions. Following the process, 67 licences were provisionally granted to 29 companies. Out of these, 20 companies met all eligibility requirements and completed the necessary documentation, receiving their licences at Monday’s ceremony.
The event, held at PEMRA headquarters in Islamabad, was presided over by Chairman Muhammad Saleem, who welcomed the participants and congratulated the successful licensees. He expressed hope that the new operators would provide quality entertainment and information in line with PEMRA regulations, and called on them to ensure fair and responsible operations. He also announced that the second phase of the district-level licensing process had been advertised, with the deadline for applications extended by 20 days to encourage wider participation.
Senior PEMRA officials present included Executive Director General (Licensing Distribution) Sardar Irfan Ashraf Khan, Executive Director General (Licensing Broadcast Media) Wakeel Khan, Executive Director General (Operations Broadcast Media and Public Relations) Muhammad Tahir, Executive Director General (Admin) Khurram Siddiqui, Director General (Punjab) Ikram Barkat, Director General (Licensing Distribution) Omar Waqas Qureshi, Director General (Chairman Secretariat) Tamseel Haider, Director General (Executive Member Secretariat) Rana Ahmed Mustafa, and Authority Secretary Saeed Ahmed Soomro.
Regional directors in attendance were Qasim Ahmed (Lahore), Liaquat Shah (Islamabad), Waqas Ahmed (Faisalabad), Rana Muhammad Asif, Muhammad Khaliq (Sargodha), Abul Hasib Syed Ali Mudassir (Multan), Nisar Ahmed Panwar (Hyderabad), Syed Mudassir Ali Shah Ma’soomi (Sukkur), Humayun Shah (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa South), and Aurangzeb Khilji (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa North).
