BANGLADESH MEDIA

Industry Overview

Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 2 1.1 Background ......................................................................................................................................... 2 1.2 Broadcasting Media ............................................................................................................................ 2 1.3 Print Media ......................................................................................................................................... 3 2.0 Television ................................................................................................................................................ 4 2.1 Background ......................................................................................................................................... 4 2.2 Viewership of TV Channels ................................................................................................................. 4 2.3 Role of Television in Advertising ......................................................................................................... 5 3.0 Radio ....................................................................................................................................................... 6 3.1 Evolution History of Radio in Bangladesh ........................................................................................... 6 3.2 Limitations of Conventional Broadcasting System of Bangladesh ...................................................... 6 3.3 Increasing Popularity of FM Radio ...................................................................................................... 7 3.4 Print Media ............................................................................................................................................. 8 3.5 Post Democratic Policy Reforms ......................................................................................................... 9 3.5.1 Amendments Made to the Special Power Acts ........................................................................... 9 3.5.2 Omission of Clauses ..................................................................................................................... 9 3.5.3 Privatization of the Sector ........................................................................................................... 9 4.0 Current Status of the Industry ................................................................................................................ 9 4.1 Concentration Trend in the Industry .................................................................................................. 9 4.2 More Investment by Large Business Firms ......................................................................................... 9 4.3 Modernization of the Newspapers ................................................................................................... 10 4.4 Focus on Diverse Issues .................................................................................................................... 10 4.5 Large Network of Correspondents and Reporters ............................................................................ 10 4.6 Key Players of the Industry ............................................................................................................... 10 5.0 How Trustworthy is the Media?............................................................................................................ 11 Bibliography ................................................................................................................................................ 12

1.0 Introduction
1.1 Background
The media of Bangladesh refers to the print, broadcast and online mass media available in the country. The Constitution of Bangladesh guarantees press freedom and freedom of expression within "reasonable restriction", though some media outlets have been harassed. The Bangladeshi media is ranked at 136th out of 178 countries on the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index, with 1st being most free. The media in Bangladesh is a mix of government-owned and private media. There are still criminal penalties for libel, defamation and sedition as well as reporting on national security issues. Media restrictions have usually increased during periods of political turmoil. The print media is private and consists of hundreds of weekly publications, presenting a vast array of viewpoints, though some outspoken papers have faced pressure in the past. English language papers appeal to an educated urban readership. Television is the biggest medium for news in Bangladesh. There were 15 television stations in 1999. In 2006, there were 15AM and 13FM radio stations available. The BBC World Service broadcasts in the country, and Indian and other foreign television broadcasts are picked up in the country. (Media of Bangladesh, 2013)

1.2 Broadcasting Media

Television is the most popular source of news and entertainment in urban areas of Bangladesh. It is also rapidly gaining ground in the countryside. However, radio still commands large audiences in the rural areas, where 73% of Bangladeshis live. Many rural families have no access to electricity and are too poor to afford a TV set. Radio ownership has fallen steadily in recent years and so have radio audiences. The 2011 Nielsen Media and Demographic Survey, conducted by the global media marketing group AC Nielsen, found that radio listening had declined to 15% of the population in 2011 from 36% in 1999. It also found that over the same 12-year period access to television in urban areas increased from 69% to 91%. In rural areas, the proportion of the population watching television increased even more dramatically from 24% to 67%. The 2011 Nielsen Survey indicated that Bangladeshis who still listen to radio are increasingly tuning in on their mobile phones rather than a traditional radio set. It showed that 73% of radio listeners tuned into stations on their mobile phones, but only 34% still listened to programs on a radio set. (Neilson, 2011) This change in listening habits reflects the fact that young urban Bangladeshis frequently listen to music broadcast by FM stations through earphones attached to their mobile handset. However, one in five Bangladeshis do not watch TV or listen to radio at all. The Nielsen survey indicated that 20% of the population has no access to any media whatsoever. It found that 27% of females were unable to watch TV, listen to radio or reach any other media on a regular basis. 13% of males were in the same situation. The government began to liberalize broadcasting in the late 1990s. Unusually, it allowed private TV stations to operate before licensing private radio stations. Bangladeshs first private satellite channel, ATN Bangla, began broadcasting on satellite in 1997. But the first commercial radio station, Radio Foorti, only went on air in 2006. (Infosaid, 2012)The government-run radio network Bangladesh Betar and state-run Bangladesh Television (BTV) have both lost audiences to private sector competitors in the towns and cities. However, state radio and TV still dominate the air waves at a

national level. They are still the only broadcasters that can be received easily in large swathes of the countryside, where the majority of Bangladeshis live. Bangladesh Betar and BTV both strongly reflect the views of the government of the day. Their programming is widely regarded as dull and uninspired compared with that of their private sector competitors.

1.3 Print Media

Newspapers are still widely read in Bangladesh, despite growing competition from private TV channels and radio stations. The rapid spread of internet access from a low base has actually boosted newspaper readership. A growing number of educated middle class people now read their favorite newspaper online. Bangladeshis in the diaspora are also heavy users of newspaper websites. The growth of online readership has not so far dented sales of printed newspapers. In fact, recent survey evidence shows that sales of the countrys main daily newspapers are still growing. In addition to the main national newspapers published in Dhaka, there are dozens of provincial dailies. Until recently newspapers were the only source of independent news and information in Bangladesh. Privately owned satellite TV channels only began producing their own news programs in 2000 and Bangladeshs first private radio station did not hit the air waves until 2006. According the 2011 Nielsen Media and Demographic Survey, 27% of Bangladeshis read a newspaper at least once a week. However, most of these readers are men. The survey indicated that 40% of Bangladeshi men read a newspaper regularly, but only 14% of women. (Neilson, 2011) Literacy rates are higher among men, but other factors also contribute to this gender imbalance. Men tend to control the family income. They also get out of the house more than women and thus have more opportunities to buy newspapers. Surprisingly perhaps, the Nielsen survey showed a small increase in the number of newspaper readers from just 24% of the population in 2009.This is partly because more and more middle class Bangladeshis are reading newspapers online as internet usage spreads. Prothom Alo, whose name means First Light, is the top-selling newspaper in Bangladesh. Its website attracts more online readers than any other news website in the country. Nevertheless, the newspaper reported a 10% increase in sales of printed copies between early 2011 and early 2012. Although nearly half the population cannot read or write, many poor people listen to communal readings of newspapers in tea shops and other meeting places. In rural areas it is common for teachers and other educated members of the local community to read newspapers aloud to large groups of semi-literate and illiterate people in tea shops. The most popular and influential Bangla language newspaper is Prothom Alo. According to the governments Department of Films and Publications, it had an audited daily circulation of 437,350 in early 2011. (Infosaid, 2012)

2.0 Television
2.1 Background
It is to be noted that the country has 59% of television household penetration with 19.6 million households having access to this media. Terrestrial TV is present in the country since 1964, when the state-owned Bangladesh Television (BTV) commenced their operations. Currently there are 2 terrestrial network providers in Bangladesh, the government run BTV and private owned Ekushey TV. (Dataxis, 2012) Cable TV is there in the country since 1990s and so far cable has reached to 26% of the TV households. Majority of cable viewers in Bangladesh are in the urban cities, while the interior rural regions have access only to the state-owned BTVs terrestrial network. Bangladesh currently has 27 channels on air that constitutes 25 private channels and the two state run channels. All private Bangladeshi channels are FTA services and works on advertisement based model. However, Bangladesh does not have any official DTH (Digital to home) services on board so far. The country is reported to have procured close to 30000 DTH boxes from the neighboring Indian cities and is being used illegally by the residents. The government has taken steps to legalize the DTH services in the country and major Indian DTH players and few foreign players have shown interest in extending to the Bangladesh market. (Dataxis, 2012) It is expected that Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) services are expected to commence on experimental basis in few cities from 2014. BTV has also laid out plans for establishing the infrastructure for digital transformation that will improve their quality of channels and reach. It has been predicted that the cable TV revenue in Bangladesh will reach USD 360 million by the year 2018 from USD 85 million in 2012. Bangladeshs satellite pay-tv revenue will touch USD 26.6 million in 2018 from USD 3.5 million in 2015. There is also an estimate that the advertisement expenditure from TV is close to USD 234 million in the year 2012 and will increases to USD 415 million by end of the year 2018. This estimate represents gross figures and is not the net revenue that is coming into TV industry. (Dataxis, 2012)

2.2 Viewership of TV Channels

Nationally, BTV is still the most watched TV channel (83%) due to its terrestrial network. The viewership of BTV is higher in the rural areas (92%) than in the urban areas (69%). Among private satellite channels, Channel-i (36%), ATN Bangla (36%), NTV (30%), and Channel 1 (20%) are generally watched by viewers. In urban areas, Channel-i is watched by 62% of the TV viewers, followed by ATN (61%) and NTV (52%). The viewership of other major Bangladeshi channels is Bangla Vision (29%), RTV (24%), Ekushey TV (24%), and Baishakhi (18%). As expected, viewership of these channels in the rural areas is quite low. Basically, 8:00pm to 10:00pm is the peak time for watching TV. The second peak period is 10:00pm onwards (max till 11:30pm). During the weekly holidays (Fridays), people prefer to watch TV between 3.00 pm and 5.30 pm (max 6 pm) returning to watch between 8.00 pm and 11.00 pm (max 11.30 pm). (Neilson, 2011)

2.3 Role of Television in Advertising

Television is considered as the most important electronic communication medium that informs, entertains, and influences people. Because of its pervasiveness, impact and targeting abilities, television also plays significant role in creating and raising mass awareness and shaping social and public policy agenda and priorities. Electronic Advertising Industry has been developed getting matured with its diversified roles throughout the last decade in our country. This electronic advertising industry involves a wide strata of stakeholders- namely television channel owners, policy makers, investors and advertisers, Ad makers, media planners, researchers and analysts and the viewers, both directly and indirectly. There are so many queries regarding this industry, especially the advertisement scenarios. Just to have a clear picture, it has been found that as many as 27,69,979 television commercials were broadcast on the 12 television channels during the 12 months period from January 2011 to December 2011. The television channels spent at least 19,744 hours to air the ads. Ad companies had to spend Tk 2,591.32 crore for broadcasting purpose. On an average, 2,30,832 Ads were aired in a month for 1,645 hours and at the cost of Tk 215.94 crore. In addition, every channel aired 641 Ads for 5 hours of Ads and Tk 0.60 crore of Ads per day in average. Besides, BTV aired Ads for at least one hour and the top broadcaster was Channel i for seven hours. Television channels aired 20 percent Ads in 24 hours in total and 80 percent during programs. The costliest month was August in terms of highest frequency, duration and expense. It has also been found that Ad airing has been increased by 11.8 percent in June but decrease by 2.1 percent in December than the month of January 2011, Ad duration has increased by 4% in June but decreased by 6.4 percent in December and Ad expense has increased by 1.6% in the month of June 11 but decreased by 7.1 percent than of January11. (Ryans, 2012)

3.0 Radio
3.1 Evolution History of Radio in Bangladesh
The relationship with radio and the people of Bangladesh dates back to the pre liberation war era when Radio Pakistan used to broadcast its transmission in the region now known as Bangladesh, which was liberated on December 16, 1971. In those days the only source of entertainment was listening to the radio, which definitely was not by design though. The broadcasting station Shadheen Bangla Betar reached its pinnacle during the 1971 liberation war being acclaimed as the stool pigeon of war news updates through Chorom Potro. During the war radio had played an important role. But the post war broadcasting scenario was quite different. By then other entertainment options were available to the general public and radio transmission lost its charm especially on the city. Around the late nineties, most probably from the middle of 1999, a private radio channel named Radio Metro wave came into picture. It started its transmission in Dhaka for a few hours daily. Some of the programs/shows gained a lot of popularity but later, due to lack of enough audiences, they were obliged to shut the station off. (Chowdhury, 2011) In the late 2005, the government gave permission to set up three more new frequency modulation (FM) band radio channels. These stations added new dimension in the lives of the Bengalis. Notable among those are, radio Foorti Radio Today, and Radio Amar. The sudden entrance of these private radio channels in our lives has changed the entertainment scene overnight. Various programs from three of these radio channels inspire people now to listen to radio in a new way. Radio is in everyones ears, in the buses, tea stalls. Traffic updates are the most popular programs in all these radio channels as traffic woes grew in the Mega city Dhaka. As these radio stations gained acceptance it had been a blessing for the music industry. Record label companies found a bigger platform to promote their singed up artists music. They promote them on these radio channels by airing unreleased tracks or exclusive tracks of the artists. They have introduced a chart system, where a listener can vote for ascertain track by sms. With this the record label companies can assess the popularity of that artist for a particular song. Until recently music label companies advertised using paper media and with 30 seconds clips on TV. According to the record label companies, their cassettes or cds sales have increased dramatically due to the radio promotions. Radio is replacing the trend of listening to car cd players while on the car. Radio has become a part of the daily life of the Bengalis.

3.2 Limitations of Conventional Broadcasting System of Bangladesh

1. Limited Area Coverage: The coverage areas of these radio channels are limited till now and are only in major cities like Dhaka, Chittagong, Sylhet and Barishal have these channels.

2. Fewer Effective Radio Programs: Most of the listeners of radio programs in Bangladesh are city dwellers whereas the most potential listeners live in rural areas and they are in more need of radio programs regarding their everyday livelihood. 3. Shortage of Radio Station: The maximum number of radio station from Bangladesh Betar which coverage greater region than others. Very few FM radio stations are broadcast by four major FM private station-Radio Foorti, Radio Today, Radio Amar and ABC Radio 4. Limited Radio Receivers: There is limited number of receivers in the country and all are analog (AM/FM) receivers which are maximum use in FM enable car and mobile. There are very few portable receivers in the country which inherently means there are very few listeners from home or office. 5. Lack of New Broadcasting Technologies: In our this developing country the most recent technologies like HDTV and DTV, Mobile TV, IPTV, Digital Radio, Emergency Broadcasting are not present yet.

3.3 Increasing Popularity of FM Radio

In the late sixties the radio was the prime source of entertainment for people. Those days disappeared with the advent of television which totally obliterated the charm of the radio. Bangladesh Betar, the country's state-owned radio went through a decline and existed only for the sake of existing with little innovation or development. It was in 2006 that Radio Today, the first private FM radio station in Bangladesh set a new trend in the world of information and entertainment. With a completely new and refreshing format the station won the hearts of millions of listeners many of whom never listened to radio before. Other radio stations Radio Aamar, Radio Foorti and ABC Radio- successfully followed the footsteps of Radio Today. There are a number of reasons behind the large scale acceptance of radio in this age of advanced communication technology. Radio is always a cheaper and accessible medium but the growth and availability of visual medium more or less left this powerful instrument of communication behind. Again, the very type of one-way communication operated by Bangladesh Betar, the state radio station held back the potential of the particular medium. The principle to be adopted was to make the communication two-way and to give priority to listeners' demands. That really worked like magic, primarily as there is a tendency to assume that these stations represent young listeners' only. But focus should also be to target out listeners very carefully involving all age groups and design the programs accordingly. Another reason for FM radio's popularity might be its 'CD sound' quality. Generally, the standard of sound quality has three scales: telephone quality, radio quality and CD quality. The commercial FM radio stations in Bangladesh operate in CD quality sound, which is a key factor for its wide acceptance. In today's hectic life it is hard to manage a good time to sit before television or go to movies daily, where radio is not taking any extra time from one's day and one can also listen to it easily while remaining busy in other activities. Moreover, no extra device is

required nowadays to be a radio listener as radio can be tuned in from a regular cellular phone and one can listen to radio while travelling by cars. When FM radio was about to start, many people were skeptical as the idea of infotainment was dominated by visual medium, especially television. But the response was good from the very beginning and increasing demand from the listeners' side is inspiring which encourages others to start more radio channels. Initially Radio Today had stations in Dhaka, Chittagong and Cox's Bazaar, and now it has been expanded to stations in Bogra, Sylhet, and Khulna. The Radio is going to install a total of ten stations; of them two are in waiting for approval from the government. (Urmee, 2011) Of the FM radio stations in the country the only Dhaka-based FM broadcasters are Radio Aamar and ABC radio and Radio Foorti is also expanding its network countrywide. Currently Radio Today covers two thirds of the country and different surveys indicate that the number of listeners is increasing. FM radio stations are conducting research to know their listeners taste and demand and thus scheduling their programs and segments accordingly.

3.4 Print Media

In the early eighties of the last century the then government of Bangladesh had declared the newspaper sector as an industry Invalid source specified.. This is one of the most dynamic sectors of our economy. This industry has experienced revolutionary changes in the last few years due to technological revolution. After the independence of Bangladesh, the press enjoyed considerable freedom. However, the industry went through several policy changes over the years. A timeline is shown below to focus on the changes brought by the government in the press policy.
Considerable freedom of the Press Newspapers played a great role in bringing the incidents of pulic corruption to public knowledge Government and opposition was concerned about the corruption

1971-1973

1973-1974

Government replaced the 1961 Pakistani Press Ordinance with the Printing Presses and Publications Act in 1973 Licensing was mandatory for the newspapers Several Weeklies were closed down

1974-1975

Special Power Act was introduced Newspapers Ordinance of 1975 annulled the publication of all (29 dailies and 138 weeklies) newspapers except 4. All the 4 newspapers were under government control

1976-1990

Around 50 newspapers were closed down on grounds of publishing materials critical of the government During 1988 parliamentary elections, journalists staged a walkout to protest attempts by the governments' restrictive laws Press obtained freedom after the fall of Ershad Regime

Figure 1: Pre-Democratic Timeline of the Newspaper Industry

3.5 Post Democratic Policy Reforms

3.5.1 Amendments Made to the Special Power Acts

The scenario of media in Bangladesh started to improve with the restoration of democracy in 1991. Immediately after the fall of Ershad regime in December 1990, the interim government headed by Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed made some amendments to the Special Powers Act of 1974 and Printing Presses and Publications Act of 1973 which considerably brought the freedom of press Invalid source specified..
3.5.2 Omission of Clauses

Clauses 16 (prohibition of prejudicial acts, etc.), 17 (proscription of certain documents) and 18 (regulation of publication of certain matters) of the Special Power Act curtailed rigorously the freedom of the press as these sections facilitated the government to hassle journalists and close down newspapers Invalid source specified. . Thus, omitting these clauses of Special Power Act in the said amendment widened the liberty of press. As a consequence, a lot of newspapers and magazines representing diverse views and opinions were brought out during the 1990s.
3.5.3 Privatization of the Sector

Government closed the state-owned Dainik Bangla, Bangladesh Times and Weekly Bichitra in 1997 and abolished the Times-Bangla Trust Invalid source specified.. Thereby, government took the total privatization policy of print media since then which is still continuing.

4.0 Current Status of the Industry

4.1 Concentration Trend in the Industry
Although the main objective of the newspapers is to provide service, but the investors nowadays are also focusing on profit generation which has brought into play different marketing and communication strategies. Big business firms like Transcom Group, Beximco, Jamuna Group and Globe Group have invested in this sector. These large companies have also bought newspapers and magazines which are not financially viable. As a result, the industry overall is experiencing a concentration trend rather than diversification.

4.2 More Investment by Large Business Firms

Beximco Group and the Globe Group - made the industry capital intensive. Beximco Group, one of the country's leading business houses, established the Beximco Media Publications in 1995, apparently to build a media empire Invalid source specified.. It first brought out the daily

Independent introducing high quality foreign newsprint and color pictures. The Globe group brought out the Janakantha publishing it simultaneously form Dhaka and four other out stations.

4.3 Modernization of the Newspapers

Older newspapers, such as Daily Ittefaq and Daily Sangbad, which have been around since the 1950s, have lost readership to newer publications such as Prothom Alo and Kaler Kantho. These newer titles have better design and layout, a more populist approach to news and they are written in less formal language. According to the Department of Films and Publications, there were 467 registered newspapers in Bangladesh in March 2012, of which 314 were dailies. However, many of these were simply shell newspapers with no meaningful circulation. They merely existed to pick up government advertising, access the government newsprint subsidy, and allow companies to comply with the legal requirement of publishing tender notices.

4.4 Focus on Diverse Issues

Daily newspapers focus strongly on politics, administrative irregularities, local problems and corruption. They also cover social issues, major local events, sports, business, world news and entertainment. According to the 2011 Nielsen survey, national and local political news is the most widely read topic (87%), followed by sports (79%), international news (62%), and local news (51%). All the major dailies also publish weekly pages or supplements on issues such as health, women, children, law & rights, fashion and entertainment.

4.5 Large Network of Correspondents and Reporters

Most of the newspapers have large networks of reporters and correspondents. Prothom Alo, for instance, has more than 240 reporters nationwide (Infosaid, 2012). Local news agencies are commonly used as a source of news; particularly the online news service www.bdnews24.comForeign news is mostly collected from international news agencies and the internet.

4.6 Key Players of the Industry

At present the major players in the industry are the Prothom Alo, Bangladesh Protidin, Kaler Kantho, Juganto, Shamokal and The Daily Star. All of them are owned by local industrial giants.
Name of the Newspaper Prothom Alo Bangladesh Protidin Kaler Kantho Amader Shomoy Jugantor Shamokal The Daily Star Owner Transcom Group Bashundhara Group Bashundhara Grou Unique Group Jamuna Group Transcom Group Circulation 437,350 422,405 250,100 210,520 200,015 141,250 40,652

Table 1: Key players of the Newspaper Industry

5.0 How Trustworthy is the Media?

The media plays a very important role in most societies, reporting on a wide variety of topics and creating powerful personalities who are relied upon for sources of information and commentary. Because of the importance of journalism in society, most members of the media also abide by certain professional and personal ethics. Many journalists attempt to cultivate an air of neutrality, focusing on reporting of the issues as they are so that people can judge the facts for themselves, while others focus on offering commentary and analysis from the perspective of a particular position. Journalists are mostly careful to protect the integrity of the press, protecting sources, verifying information before publication, and using a variety of other techniques to convey a trustworthy appearance to the public, encouraging people to put their faith in the press. Democracy is impossible without a free press. This is a rule that is deeply embedded in democratic theory and practice. Modern-day democrats are as hyperbolic in their praise of the press. Contemporary democratic theory appreciates the media's role in ensuring the accountability of government. (Rashid, 2012) In a country like Bangladesh where people are skeptical, for good reasons, about what the political leaders dish out in their speeches either in the Parliament or mass-gatherings, they (people) remain largely dependent on the independent mass media that echo their voices. However, it is also true that in Bangladesh most of the owners of the electronic media and newspapers are business people or some known political figures, who sometimes are blamed for conveying motivated or biased news to the public. It has become a modern trend of the influential people or political figures to own a television channel or a newspaper, in order to protect their reputation and to become someone who can fight back if his or her interest comes under threat. Ideally, the media should keep citizens engaged in the business of governance by informing, educating and mobilizing the public. The environment is a crucial factor for media to be fair to the public. Only if the environment permits, media can play a positive role in democracy. They need the necessary skills for the kind of in-depth reporting that a new democracy requires. The media should be fair enough and should be held accountable to the public. The media people should embed the ethical and professional standards into themselves. Media's management should also be separated from its influential owners, who are more interested in protecting their narrow interest rather than being fair in delivering the objective news. Media needs independence which can only be achieved if it is free from the interference of the media owners and the state, and operates in a competitive environment. The media should also be accessible to as wide a segment of society as possible. At the same it is possibly prudent to note that our media should be seen rather providing a platform for `free flow of information' instead of too much of opinion generation.

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