ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV) collects Rs10.2 billion annually through a TV fee charged via electricity bills and earns another Rs3 billion through advertisements and sponsorships. However, nearly 70 per cent of its total revenue—around Rs9 billion—is spent solely on salaries for its 4,201 employees, the Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting was informed during a visit to PTV headquarters on Tuesday.
The committee, chaired by Senator Syed Ali Zafar, received a comprehensive briefing on PTV’s structure, finances, and editorial operations. The session opened with serious concerns raised over the alleged censorship of opposition members’ speeches during live Senate proceedings.
Senator Zafar presented video footage from a recent Senate session in which his speech was not aired by PTV. “The PTV logo appeared on the screen the moment I began speaking. Earlier, the ministry claimed this was due to a technical glitch, but recurring incidents suggest deliberate censorship,”
he said.
Committee members questioned the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting about the protocols for live coverage of parliamentary proceedings.
Secretary Information and Broadcasting Ambreen Jan admitted that PTV does not have written standard operating procedures (SOPs) for broadcasting parliamentarians’ speeches live. The committee directed the ministry to submit a detailed report on all such incidents involving the non-airing of opposition speeches in the upcoming meeting.
Briefing the committee, Secretary Ambreen Jan said that PTV currently operates nine channels across seven centres nationwide. While the broadcaster earns over Rs13 billion annually through various streams, a significant portion—approximately Rs9 billion— is consumed by salaries and benefits. She added that efforts were being made to digitalise operations to improve revenue generation.
The committee acknowledged PTV’s role in countering Indian media propaganda during recent regional tensions and commended the organisation for responsibly presenting facts to the public.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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