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Bangladesh Television

autonomous · verified (verified 2026-05-17)

Profile

Head
Md. Mahbubul Alam
Role
Director General
Annual budget
৳3,200,000,000
Staff
1001
Established
1964
Legal basis
Operated as a government department under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting; originally established as a public corporation in 1964, converted to a fully government-owned department on 15 September 1975. The Television Programmes (Regulation) Ordinance, 1979 and subsequent Broadcasting Policy govern operations. No standalone autonomous corporation statute currently in force; reform proposals (2025) seek to enact one.

BTV autonomy reform formally committed to by the interim government (Mahfuj Alam, Dhaka Tribune February 2026) but operationally stalled: the 5-member advisers committee chaired by CR Abrar (formed 19 June 2025) has produced no legislative draft; resistance from BTV staff and bureaucracy is the primary friction; the Media Reform Commission's broader merger proposal (BTV + Betar + BSS into a National Broadcasting Corporation) remains in cold storage. Most urgent near-term issue is securing FIFA World Cup 2026 broadcast rights from Springbok Pte Ltd at USD 12.30 million.

Recent activity

Provenance & notes

BTV first broadcast on 25 December 1964 from Dacca as a pilot under East Pakistan/Pakistan Television; renamed Bangladesh Television on 17 December 1971 after independence; converted from an autonomous corporation to a fully government-owned department on 15 September 1975. It is currently NOT a statutory autonomous body -- it functions as an attached department under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, which is why the autonomy reform push requires new legislation. DG Mahbubul Alam was appointed 22 September 2024 on a 2-year contract under Section 49 of the Public Service Act 2018, replacing Jahangir Alam who was removed 18 August 2024. The 5-member autonomy committee (chaired by Education Adviser CR Abrar; members: Law Adviser Asif Nazrul, Environment Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Road Transport Adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan, Housing Adviser Adilur Rahman Khan) was formed 19 June 2025 to prepare a roadmap implementing Media Reform Commission recommendations and reviewing 15 years of media policy. Budget figure: Prothom Alo and State Media Monitor independently report FY2024-25 BTV allocation as over Tk 320 crore (Tk 3.2 billion); the Tk 2,500 crore figure referenced in the build request could not be verified against any primary source and has NOT been used. Staff count of 1,001 is per available organisational data; sanctioned post count may differ. BTV World (satellite, international) and BTV Chittagong and BTV Khulna regional stations operate under the same entity. Audience figures from UK-based Kantar Group: 11.3 million viewers in 2021, down to 8 million by 2023. FIFA World Cup 2026 rights situation is the most active procurement issue as of May 2026. All facts cross-verified against minimum 2 independent primary sources.

Sources