ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) on Monday issued 42 cable TV licenses for 20 companies in 37 districts upon meeting the eligibility criteria.
A special ceremony to this end was held at PEMRA headquarters in Islamabad, said a news release.
PEMRA Chairman Muhammad Saleem accorded a warm welcome to the distinguished guests upon their arrival.
On the occasion, PEMRA Chairman Muhammad Saleem congratulated all the licensees and expressed his hope that they would provide quality entertainment and information while adhering to PEMRA regulations.
He urged them to ensure fair play and a positive role as they launched their new networks.
He also mentioned that the authority has advertised for the second phase and extended the application submission deadline by 20 days, expressing hope for strong participation.
The event was attended by a number of PEMRA officials, including: 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 Director PEMRA Lahore Qasim Ahmed, Regional Director Islamabad Liaquat Shah; Regional Director Faisalabad Waqas Ahmed; Regional Director Rana Muhammad Asif, Regional Director Sargodha Muhammad Khaliq; Director Multan Abul Hasib Syed Ali Mudassir; Regional Director Hyderabad Nisar Ahmed Panwar, Regional Director Sukkur Syed Mudassir Ali Shah Ma’soomi; Regional Director Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (South) Humayun Shah, and Regional Director Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (North) Aurangzeb Khilji were among the other officials who attended the event.
It is pertinent to mention that this is the first time PEMRA has introduced the issuance of district-level cable TV licenses.
In the first phase, the authority advertised for applications from interested companies and individuals in February 2025 in national newspapers and on the PEMRA website, with further promotion on TV channels, FM radio, and cable TV.
As a result, 36 companies from all over Pakistan submitted 91 applications. Auctions were held for 9 districts: Mianwali, Sialkot, Swat, Abbottabad, Muzaffargarh, Sahiwal, Peshawar, Rawalpindi and Attock. Offer letters were given for 44 districts where one or two applications were received.
Following the successful auctions, 29 companies were provisionally qualified for 67 licenses. Of these, companies that completed the required documentation according to the eligibility criteria were issued licenses today. –Agencies
