Pakistan Television Corporation

Pakistan Television Corporation (Urdu: ‫ ;پاكِستان ٹیلی وژن نیٹ ورک‬reporting name: PTV) is the
Pakistani state-owned broadcaster. Founded on 26 November 1964 as a private company
by NEC of Japan,[1] PTV was nationalized by the Pakistani government.[1] in 1970, due to low
revenue.[1] For most of the 20th century, the PTV enjoyed a monopoly in the broadcasting industry
until the early 2000s and was one of the two major television networks in the country. The end of
PTV's monopoly in 2000 led to a boom in electronic media in Pakistan, which gained greater political
influence in country's political spectrum.

Historical context [edit]

The idea of establishing a media and television industry was conceived in late 1956 and created by
the privately set up national education commission, with the support of President Ayub Khan in
1960.[1] In 1961, the private sector media mogul and industrialist Syed Wajid Ali launched a television
industrial development project, bringing the role of Ubaidur Rahman, an electrical engineer in the
Engineering Division of Radio Pakistan, as the project director of the first television station
in Lahore.[1] Ali reached a milestone in 1961 after establishing a private television broadcasting
company with the cooperation of Nippon Electric Company (NEC) of Japan and Thomas Television
International of United Kingdom.[1]
In 1963, a public meeting was chaired by President Ayub Khan; in which the government made
decisions about the Pakistan Television stations and the media industry in the country.[1] Since 1963,
its headquarters are in Islamabad, near the Cabinet Secretariat. From 1961 to 1962, a television
headquarters was established in Lahore and several pilot transmission tests were taken by
Rahman's team. Subsequently, many television divisions were established throughout Pakistan by
this team, including East-Pakistan.[1]