![]() Logo of BTV | |
![]() The headquarters of Bangladesh Television in Rampura, built in 1975. Often known as the BTV Bhaban. | |
Type | |
---|---|
Branding | BTV |
Country | |
First air date | 25 December 1964 |
Availability | Nationwide Worldwide |
Founded | 1964 by Government of Pakistan |
TV stations | 16 (including 14 relays) |
Headquarters | Rampura, Dhaka |
Owner | Government of Bangladesh |
Established |
|
Picture format | 1080i HDTV (downscaled to 16:9 576i for SDTV sets) |
Official website | www |
Language | Bengali |
Bangladesh Television (Bengali: বাংলাদেশ টেলিভিশন), commonly known by its acronym BTV (Bengali: বিটিভি), is the state-owned television network of Bangladesh. The network was originally established as the East Pakistan branch of PTV in 1964. It is the oldest Bengali-language television network in the world,[1] and is sister to the radio broadcaster Bangladesh Betar, which, along with BTV, are both owned and operated by the government.[2][3]
Bangladesh Television is the country's only television network provided on terrestrial television.[4] It is primarily financed through television licence fees.[5] Although it has produced many award-winning programs, it has often been accused of being the mouthpiece of the government and panned for its lack of quality programming.[6] Both the headquarters and the administrative building of Bangladesh Television are located at Rampura in Dhaka.[7]
Prior to the late 1990s, Bangladesh Television was the sole television broadcaster provided in Bangladesh, and was a very successful network in terms of viewership until the launch of several satellite television channels, which led to the network's downfall and stagnation, mostly due to the fact that it was used for spewing government propaganda ever since Bangladesh's independence.[8][9]
It operates two main television stations, BTV Dhaka and BTV Chittagong, and fourteen relay stations all over Bangladesh, along with a satellite television channel, BTV World. It is a member of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union and Asiavision, and is an associate member of the European Broadcasting Union.[10][11] Bangladesh Television also plans to launch six more television channels.[1]
BTV can be received via satellite throughout Asia and parts of Europe and Africa. Bangladesh Television is also the sister network of Sangsad Television, a parliamentary television channel. BTV World is also to be converted into an independent entertainment television channel with a different schedule compared to BTV Dhaka.[12] BTV Dhaka broadcasts eighteen hours a day on terrestrial television, and twenty-four hours a day on satellite television. Its satellite feed relays BTV World's transmissions during the off-air hours of its terrestrial feed. BTV Chittagong broadcasts on a full-day basis daily.[13]