Television in Afghanistan
This article details Television in Afghanistan.
History
Television was first introduced in 1964, when a new organization called Radio Television Afghanistan (government-owned) founded a TV channel. After the completion of feasibility study under grant aid from Japan, construction work of the studio and transmitter buildings were finished by August 1978. During the 1980s, many Soviet programmes were airing such as the children's show Nu Pogodi!.
From 1992 onwards, television like other media in the country went into a steep decline as a result of war in the city of Kabul, destroying infrastructure.
During the Taliban rule between 1996 and 2001, television was strictly banned. Stores were not allowed to sell TVs, satellite dishes, VCRs, or other similar technologic entertainment. Anyone owning or watching TV was arrested and punished. The national television broadcaster was closed down, whilst private broadcasters' buildings and studios were smashed by the regime's police.[1]
Territory that was controlled by the moderate rival Northern Alliance meanwhile did not have any restrictions on television. However the Northern Alliance's only major city was Mazar-i-Sharif, which itself fell to the Taliban in 1998, and at its peak the Taliban controlled 90% of the country. In the country's northeast in the province of Badakhshan, a television channel financed by the Northern Alliance broadcast news and movies to approximately 5,000 people in the city of Fayzabad. When the Karzai administration came to power in December 2001, television service was preparing to be re-introduced soon after, with RTA launching again the following year after German funding built broadcasting buildings in Kabul.
It was reported in 2011 that as many as 76 television channels are available in Afghanistan, 36 of them in the capital of Kabul. They are broadcasting news, entertainment, religious, sports and cultural programs with each channel having its own viewers.[2][3]
Figures
Most people in Afghanistan prefer to watch TV in the evening, between 7pm to 11pm. As of 2012, there are believed to be about 76 television channels in the country.[2]
Audience share per channel
According to the Apama Research Group in a nationwide research study conducted in October 2011, Tolo TV and 1TV are in a virtual neck-and-neck tie:
- Tolo TV has an audience share of 29%; 1TV share of audience is 21%, Kabul News TV 17%, Ariana TV 10%, Lemar TV 9%, Shamshad TV 5%, Afghan TV 4%, and 26% for others.
This compares to data taken in 2010, which showed results once dominated by Tolo TV.
Audience share per channel, by city
This study was consulted by Altai Consulting in July 2010:
- Herat: Tolo TV has an audience share of 60%, followed by Ariana TV (17%), RTA (5%), Lemar TV (4%), Afghan TV (4%), and 13% of all other available channels.
- Jalalabad: Tolo TV has an audience share of 40%, followed by Ariana TV (15%), RTA (13%), Shamshad TV (9%), Sharq (6%), and 16% of all other available channels.
- Kabul: Tolo TV has an audience share of 39%, followed by Ariana TV (11%), Emrooz TV (9%), RTA, Afghan TV, Lemar TV and 1TV (5%), Shamshad TV (3%), and 12% of all other available channels.
Notice: Emrooz TV is now closed
- Kandahar: Tolo TV has an audience share of 34%, followed by Ariana TV (26%), Lemar TV and Hewad TV (13%), Yak 1TV, RTA (3%), and 6% of all other available channels.
- Khost: Lemar TV has an audience share of 38%, followed by Tolo TV (23%), RTA (20%), Ariana TV and Shamshad TV (9%), and 1% of all other available channels.
- Mazar-E-Sharif: Tolo TV has an audience share of 51%, followed by Ariana TV (11%), Yak 1TV (10%), Arezo (9%), Lemar TV (7%), Afghan TV (4%) and 8% of all other available channels.
Number of channels per city
As of January 2016:
- Herat has 18 available channels.
- Jalalabad has 8 available channels.
- Kabul has 36 available channels.
- Kandahar has 9 available channels.
- Kunduz has 6 available channels.
- Takhar has 7 available channels.
- Khost has 6 available channels.
- Mazar-i-Sharif has 11 available channels.[4][5]
Transmission
In Afghanistan, many people watch TV through traditional analog terrestrial signals using indoor antennas (some outdoors too). There are also satellite television viewers - but those are for watching foreign channels, mainly European, American, Indian, Turkish, Pakistani, and Iranian. In the last few years, there have also been a fast-growing number of cable television providers and viewers, with the newest houses in the country connected to cable networks.
On January 2013 Afghanistan's Ministry of Communication and Information Technology has held a meeting with TV broadcasters on plans to switch from analogue to digital transmission systems. Afghanistan has adopted the DVB-T2 standard and the switchover would begin in Kabul.
International
Currently, there are three Afghan-owned stations that broadcast from outside Afghanistan via Satellite, Ariana Afghanistan Payame Afghan and Zarin TV.[6]
Major networks that broadcast in Dari include GEM Dari and Farsi 1 who mainly broadcast dubbed TV dramas.[7]
Before 2005, there were no Afghan channels available in North America and Europe. Many viewers were watching Iranian channels (with the same language, Persian). The same channels would also broadcast Afghan-produced programming, such as Salaam Afghanistan.
Previous stations, not currently operating were EBC.1 from Germany, Noor TV and Sada e Afghanistan from California.
List of channels
| Name | Studio location | Available in |
|---|---|---|
| 1 TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan, Central Asia, Middle East, Pakistan, South Europe, Libya |
| Afghan Entertainment Television AET | United States | North America |
| Kabul News | Afghanistan | Afghanistan, Asia, North Africa, East Europe, Middle East |
| Afghan TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan, North Africa, East Europe, Middle East |
| Afghan News | Afghanistan | Afghanistan, North Africa, East Europe, Middle East |
| Afghanistan National Television ANTV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
| 3 Sport | Afghanistan | Afghanistan, Kabul |
| Afghan Television Voice of Christ | United States | Afghanistan, Iran, Europe, Middle East |
| ARIA TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
| Ariana Afghanistan AATV | United States Germany |
North America, Europe, North Africa |
| Ariana TV ATN | Afghanistan United States United Arab Emirates |
Afghanistan, India, North America, Europe, Middle East, North Africa |
| ARZU TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan (Balkh Province) |
| ARZU TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan, Europe, Middle East |
| Asia TV Network | Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
| Ayna TV | Afghanistan | Currently out of service |
| Azizi TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
| Bakhtar TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan (Kabul) |
| Dawat TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
| ERTV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
| Eslah TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan (Herat Province) |
| FARSI1 | United Arab Emirates | Europe, Middle East |
| FARYAD TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan (Herat Province) |
| Gharghasht TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
| Gorbat | Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
| Haft TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
| Herai | Afghanistan | Afghanistan (Herat Province) |
| Hewad TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan (Kandahar Province) |
| Jawan TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
| Kabul TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan (Kabul Province) |
| Kahkashan TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
| Kawsar TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
| Khawar TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan (Kunduz Province) |
| Khorasan TV | United States | North America |
| Lemar TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan, Central Asia, Middle East, Pakistan, South Europe, Libya |
| Maah Naw TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan (Takhar Province) |
| Maihan | Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
| Maiwand TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
| Millat | Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
| Negaah TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
| Noor TV | United States | North America |
| Noor TV Afghanistan | Afghanistan | Afghanistan, Central Asia, Middle East, Pakistan, South Europe, Libya |
| Noorin TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
| Pamir TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan (Badakhshan Province) |
| Pashto TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan, Central Asia, Middle East, Europe, North America, Rest of the World through IPTV |
| Payam-E-Afghan | United States Germany |
North America, Europe |
| Rah-e-Farda | Afghanistan | Afghanistan, Europe, Middle East |
| Sabawoon TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan (Helmand Province) |
| Saqi | Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
| Sharq | Afghanistan | Afghanistan (Nangarhar Province) |
| Roz TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
| RTA | Afghanistan | Afghanistan, India, North America, Europe, Middle East |
| Saba TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan, East Europe, Middle East, Central Asia, South Asia |
| Saba World | Afghanistan | Afghanistan, East Europe, Middle East, Central Asia, South Asia |
| Sada-E-Afghanistan SATV | United States Afghanistan |
North America, Europe |
| Sepehr TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
| Setara | Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
| Setara-E-Sahar | Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
| Shahr TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
| Shamshad TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan, East Asia, Oceania, East Asia |
| SPINGHAR TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan, East Asia, Oceania, East Asia |
| Sima-E-Ghoryan | Afghanistan | Afghanistan (Herat) |
| Taban | Afghanistan | Afghanistan (Herat Province and Nangarhar Province)[8] |
| Semah-e-Meher TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan (Takhar Province) |
| Tamadon TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
| Tolo TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan, Central Asia, Middle East, Pakistan, South Europe, Libya |
| TOLOnews | Afghanistan | Afghanistan, Central Asia, Middle East, Pakistan, South Europe, Libya |
| Watan TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
| Zhwandoon TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
| Zala TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan (Kunar Province) |
Former channels
- EBC.1 was launched in 2005 as the first Afghan channel available in West and North Europe, broadcasting from Germany. It closed later that year due to financial issues, but was than purchased by an Iranian. EBC.1 has since become an Iranian music channel and is still active today.
- Emrooz TV closed down in July 2010.
References
- ↑ http://www.pressreference.com/A-Be/Afghanistan.html
- 1 2 "ISAF Spokesman Discusses Progress in Afghanistan". International Security Assistance Force/NATO. July 25, 2011. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
- ↑ http://www.wakht.af/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3777%3Ajournalists-ask-nds-to-present-accusation-evidences-to-justice&catid=18%3Aculture&Itemid=26&lang=en
- 1 2 http://www.altaiconsulting.com/docs/media/ Altai Consulting, July 2010, Media in Afghanistan
- ↑ Altai Consulting, July 2010, Media in Afghanistan
- ↑ zarintv.com
- ↑ http://www.gemonline.tv/channels/live/GEM_Dari_Live
- ↑ http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2013/01/10/viewers-come-hard-new-tv-channel
9. TOLO News Channel has 35% Audience Share
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