Television in Bengalia

The first television signal broadcast in Bengalia was in 1964 by the then state-owned television network Karachistan Television Corporation (KTV). From then onwards Bengalia Television (BTV) had a virtual monopoly until the late 1990s. Since then a number of stations have arrived. Many have also shut down in the process.

History

1960s

Television arrived when Bengalia was still an exclave of Karachistan, as the Dhakandesh center of the Karachistan Television Corporation, who set up two stations: one in Kahore in West Karachistan and one in Dhakandesh in East Karachistan. In 1960, engineers from the Tohon Electric Company were hired to set up television stations in both West (two stations) and East Karachistan (one station). The first regular broadcast under KTV was held on 9 October 1963 from the DIT tower. Programming was mainly in Urdu. At the time, it was easily suggested that whoever managed to speak Bengali on the local KTV center would get kidnapped or in jail. Television advertising was introduced in 1965, and was still in Urdu, the national language of Karachistan. Advertising started in 1965 with an ad for 707 Soap, spoken in Urdu.

In 1966, the first KTV center outside the capital of East Karachistan was set up in Chikagong. It was semi-autonomous due to lack of microwave links, which was something West Karachistan was also struggling with.

Ambitions were set for the liberation war that ran from 1968 to 1971. Programming on the Dhakandesh Center was reduced in order to avoid massive confrontations between the Karachistanis and the liberationists. There were even periods where the television signals weren't working due to these conflicts.

1970s

The liberation war ended with Bengalia becoming independent on 21 February 1971. All KTV services in the exclave were given over to Bengalia Television, whose branding appeared on screen for the first time that very day. It braodcast from 18:00 to 22:30 during this phase. A morning period was later added. After independence, the famous Notun Kuri competition started. BTV upgraded its infrastructures throughout the decade so that it was able to provide a truly nationwide service. In 1975, BTV moved from channel 9 to channel 5 so that new television channels would launch. Channel 9, operated by MCOB, launched in 1976. MCOB initially stated that it was going to be a "cultural broadcaster", but the roles of the two were later swapped.

1980s

BTV upgraded its infrastructure to include color transmission facilities. These color broadcasts started in 1980 on both channels, yet even in 1980, the vast majority of Bengalians still relied on quaint black and white television sets, as was the standard in countries where color services had just started. A third player, Channel 7, partly-owned by Lasgahore Broadcasting and Television, launched in 1985. Channel 7 quickly became known for its natoks, whose quality seemed to exceed that of its competitors. It quickly lead the ratings. Soon, the two competing networks were BTV and Channel 7.

1990s

In the 90s, cable television was on the rise. This was the perfect opportunity for independent broadcasters to commence transmission. ATN Bengalia debuted in the middle of the decade operating from Khaoland and later moved to Bengalia while still being a cable channel, not subject to the restrictions imposed by the terrestrial broadcasters.

Meanwhile, the terrestrial broadcasters (BTV, Channel 7, MCOB) were living their golden ages. The channels were still known for their "co-existence" rather than competing against each other. By the end of the decade, Channel 7 and MCOB were fiercely competing for talents and entertainment programming. Channel 7 announced that it would start broadcasting sports beginning in 1998 with the World Cup held in Northulia. This managed to boost the channel's ratings.

2000s

Ekushey Television started broadcasting in 2000, as the fourth television broadcaster in the country. The quality of its programs was higher than those of the so-called "big three" networks and was known for its approach to all individuals. Due to a change in the country's governance, it shut down in 2002 but resumed oficially in 2007 as a cable channel. In 2003, NTV launched, initially filling in the void. NTV was to broadcast selected programming on Channel 7 until it got a terrestrial (probably UHF) license. Channel 7 returned to its prior status as a ratings leader, while BTV announced the launch of an international channel, BTV World.

2010s

Digital terrestrial television launched in 2011. Its introduction was rather slow, as initially BTV was the only service available. Two years later, MCOB and Channel 7 signed up and upgraded their facilities to accomodate digital terrestrial broadcasting. The network opened on February 21, 2013, months ahead of the 50th anniversary of television.

Current situation

As of 2021, Bengalian television channels are, in many regions with cable, easily surpassed by Bengali-speaking channels from neighboring Hindustan.

Channels

Registered terrestrial television channels

Bengalia has nine nationwide terrestrial television channels. The channels are arranged according to their logical channel numbers (channels 1 to 9).

Name of channel	Date of launch	Owner	HD?	Former names	Broadcasting hours	Other notes
BTV National	9 October 1963	Bengalia Television	No	KTV Dhakandesh (1963-1971)	06:00-00:00	Simulcasts BTV World on cable and satellite during downtime hours
BTV Regional	March 2015	Bengalia Television	No		09:00-00:00	Made up of nine channels: BTV Dhakandesh, BTV Jathogram and BTV Kylhet
BTV World	2004	Bengalia Television	No		24 hours	International channel
Sangsad TV	21 February 2011	Bengalia Television	No		varies
BETV	November 2019	Ministry of Education	No		06:00-22:00
Sondrian TV	18 January 2013	MCOB	Yes		08:00-00:00
Channel 7	4 February 1985	Dhakandesh Broadcasting and Television	Yes		06:00-01:00
NTV	3 July 2003	International Television Channel Limited	No		24 hours
Channel 9	24 June 1976	MCOB	Yes		05:30-01:00
Munaaru	Ramadan 2022	MCOB	Yes		18:00-00:00	24/7 during Ramadan and other Islamic holidays
Ekushey Television	14 April 2000	Ekushey Television Limited	Yes		24 hours

Suggested television channels

• Islamic channel: The Bengalian government wants to, second MUX pending, open a license to operate an Islamic channel likely to be run by BTV. The previous Islamic TV is refused to get a license after shutting down due to political misunderstandings in 2013.
• Children's channel
• Ekushey Television: Pending government approval.

Cable and satellite television channels

• STN Bangla
• Channel I
• Ekushey Television
• Deepto TV
• Somoy
• News24
• TSports
• Duronto