Hasan: Mobile courts will ensure ad-free foreign TV channels

Starting Friday, mobile courts will carry out drives to ensure cable operators broadcast advertisement-free foreign TV channels in Bangladesh.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud made the announcement on Thursday.

“We will operate mobile courts from October 1 across the country. If the serial determined for television on cable lines at the tripartite meeting of the ministry, the Television Channel Owners’ Association and cable operators is not maintained and advertisements are shown, legal action will be taken against the distributors and operators who have the downlink approval of those channels," he told reporters.

Also Read- Cable operators stop airing foreign channels without clean feed

In countries like India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Nepal, "cable operators cannot broadcast foreign TV channels without clean feed", the minister said.

“The operators were already informed in August about the drive. The excuse of foreign channels not sending clean feeds will no longer be tolerated,” he added.