It was less than a decade ago, that Pakistanis had just one network on their televisions, until the government of President Pervez Musharaff finally deregulated the licensing process which issues cable and satellite channels. Today, there are close to a hundred private cable and satellite channels that are available to those who have access to a cable or satellite connection. These regulatory changes have had significant implications for how news and information is disseminated, particularly in a country where television is the overall most accessed medium.
Along with channels featuring entertainment, sports and religious content, there are a plethora of news channels available in Pakistan today. The state-run PTV News channel has been displaced by the private news channels such as Express News, ARY News and Aaj TV . In fact, as people climb the socio-economic ladder, they are more likely to shift from watching state run television to private news channels. Out of these many news channels, ARY News is one of the very well known and viewed news channels in Pakistan
ARY News is a Dubai-based Pakistani news channel launched on 26 September 2004. A bilingual news channel in English and Urdu, it is a part of the ARY Digital Network, which is a subsidiary of ARY Group. It has a large audience and one main competitor in Geo News. It was previously known as ARY One World until 2009 when it was re-branded as ARY News
Current affair programs with prominent Pakistani journalists are the strength of ARY News. Its program mix covers all the genres of news & infotainment, and most of its programs are presented by top international anchors such as PJ Mir, Javed Malik, Qurat ul Ain Hassan, Farah Farooq, Sadaf Abdul Jabbar, Kashif Abbasi, Wasim Badami, Iqrar ul Hassan and Asima Shirazi.
ARY News is one of the first dedicated international news channels in Pakistan. It has exclusive correspondents in almost all major capitals around the globe, a network of over 500 reporters and correspondents in Pakistan, and major international networks as exclusive partners for the exchange of news, information and other technical facilities. The channel also maintains a rich archive library with exclusive footage.
ARY News viewed internationally
ARY News is also viewed by the people in the United States. It is available there through Dish Network as well in the UK on Sky Digital.
Online streaming
After the 2007 state of emergency in Pakistan, many private TV channels were shut down by PEMRA including ARY News, but it continued live online streaming. The ban has now been removed.
Controversy
On November 16, 2007, after the pressure from General Musharraf, ARY News shut down. After the imposition of emergency in Pakistan, all private news channels were banned. On November 16, Musharraf ordered PEMRA to cancel ARY's license, and ARY shut down. The Pakistani government has claimed that Dubai Media City authorities have closed these channels and that the Government of Pakistan has nothing to do with it. However, Dubai Media Centre authorities have dismissed these statements had said that they had no hand in this at all.
ARY One World returns
After the ARY News owners signed the new PEMRA ordinance and accepted the conditions of government, coverage resumed on November 22, 2007. One important condition was that channel would not present any argument, whether from public or from opposition politicians, against the current government. Many human rights were cancelled due to this government act.
Hacking of aryoneworld.net
After the resignation of Musharraf the ARY News website was hacked and now has been restored.
Conclusion
ARY news is currently one of the mostly viewed channels not only Pakistan but even internationally its viewers are growing day by day. Even after facing so many controversies this channel has achieved a remarkable success and has also contributed towards the upliftment of Pakistani society by keeping them updated with current affairs.
Regards,
Fatima Akber Sayani
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