Television in Afghanistan
Television in Afghanistan was first introduced in 1974, when a new organization called Radio Television Afghanistan (government-owned) founded two channels: RTA and Afghanistan National Television. After the completion of feasibility study under grant aid from the Government of Japan, construction work of the studio and transmitter buildings started and were finished by the year 1397 (1978 CE). The centres were officially started in operation in August 1978.
During the Taliban rule between 1996 and 2001, television was strictly banned along with music. No store was selling TVs, cassette players and tapes, VHS tapes or any other similar source of entertainment. Anyone owning or watching TV was arrested and punished. When the Taliban government was forced out in December 2001, television service was re-introduced. RTA and Afghanistan National Television channels were launched again in 2002, after Germany built their headquarters in Kabul. It was reported in 2011 that there are as many as 75 television channels in Afghanistan.[1]
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[edit] Figures
Most people in Afghanistan prefer to watch TV in the evening, between 7pm to 11pm. As of 2011, there are believed to be about 75 television channels in the country.[1]
[edit]
- Herat: Tolo TV has a audience share of 60%, followed by Ariana TV (17%), RTA (5%), Lemar TV (4%), Afghan TV (4%), and 13% of all other available channels.
- Jalalabad: Tolo TV has a audience share of 40%, followed by Ariana TV (15%), RTA (13%), Shamshad TV (9%), Sharq (6%), and 16% of all other available channels.
- Kabul: Tolo TV has a audience share of 39%, followed by Ariana TV (11%), Emrooz TV (9%), RTA, Afghan TV, Lemar TV and Yak 1TV (5%), Shamshad TV (3%), and 12% of all other available channels.
Notice: Emrooz TV is now closed
- Kandahar: Tolo TV has a audience share of 34%, followed by Ariana TV (26%), Lemar TV and Hewad TV (13%), Yak 1TV, RTA (3%), and 6% of all other available channels.
- Khost: Lemar TV has a audience share of 38%, followed by Tolo TV (23%), RTA (20%), Ariana TV and Shamshad TV (9%), and 1% of all other available channels.
- Mazar-E-Sharif: Tolo TV has a audience share of 51%, followed by Ariana TV (11%), Yak 1TV (10%), Arezo (9%), Lemar TV (7%), Afghan TV (4%) and 8% of all other available channels.
[edit] Channels per city
As of July 2010:
- Herat has 18 available channels.
- Jalalabad has 8 available channels.
- Kabul has 30 available channels.
- Kandahar has 9 available channels.
- Khost has 6 available channels.
- Mazar-E-Sharif has 11 available channels.[3]
[edit] Transmission
In Afghanistan, many people watch TV through traditional analog terrestrial signals using indoor antennas (some outdoors too). There are also satellite television viewers - but those are mainly for watching foreign channels, such as Indian, Pakistani, Turkish or Iranian. In the last few years, there have also been a fast-growing number of cable television providers and viewers.
[edit] Abroad
[edit] Pre-2005
Before 2005, there were no Afghan channels available in North America and Europe. Therefore, most Afghans were watching Iranian channels, due to same language. Most notably, PMC, Jaam-E-Jam, Tapesh, Omid-E-Iran and IPN.
There were also Afghan programs on some of the Iranian channels, such as IPN.
[edit] Post-2005
Since 2005, there have been Afghan channels broadcasting outside Afghanistan. The first one was Ariana TV, and followed by a second channel; EBC.1 from Germany (which existed as an Afghan for only months until it was bought by an Iranian).
[edit] List of channels
| Name | Studio location(s) | Available in |
|---|---|---|
| 1TV Yak | Afghanistan | Afghanistan, Central Asia, Middle East, Pakistan, South Europe, Libya |
| Afghan Entertainment Television AET | United States | North America |
| Afghan TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan, North Africa, East Europe, Middle East |
| Afghan News | Afghanistan | Afghanistan, North Africa, East Europe, Middle East |
| Afghan Television Voice of Christ | United States | Afghanistan, Iran, Europe, Middle East |
| ARIA TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
| Ariana Afghanistan AATV | United States Germany |
North America, Europe, North Africa |
| Ariana TV ATN | Afghanistan United States United Arab Emirates |
Afghanistan, India, North America, Europe, Middle East, North Africa |
| ARZU TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan (Balkh) |
| ARZU TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan, Europe, Middle East |
| Asia TV Network | Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
| Ayna TV | Afghanistan | Currently out of service |
| Azizi TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
| Bakhtar TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan (Kabul) |
| Dawat TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
| ERTV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
| FARSI1 | United Arab Emirates | Europe, Middle East |
| Gharghasht TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
| Gorbat | Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
| Haft TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
| Herai | Afghanistan | Afghanistan (Herat) |
| Hewad TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan (Kandahar) |
| Jawan TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
| Kabul TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan (Kabul) |
| Kahkashan TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
| Kawsar TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
| Khorasan TV | United States | North America |
| Lemar TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan, Central Asia, Middle East, Pakistan, South Europe, Libya |
| Maihan | Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
| Maiwand TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
| Millat | Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
| Negaah TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
| Noor TV | United States | North America |
| Noor TV Afghanistan | Afghanistan | Afghanistan, Central Asia, Middle East, Pakistan, South Europe, Libya |
| Noorin TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
| Payam-E-Afghan | United States Germany |
North America, Europe |
| Rah-E-Farda | Afghanistan | Afghanistan, Europe, Middle East |
| Saqi | Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
| Sharq | Afghanistan | Afghanistan (Nangarhar) |
| Roz TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
| RTA | Afghanistan | Afghanistan, India, North America, Europe, Middle East |
| Saba TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan, East Europe, Middle East, Central Asia, South Asia |
| Saba World | Afghanistan | Afghanistan, East Europe, Middle East, Central Asia, South Asia |
| Sada-E-Afghanistan SATV | United States Afghanistan |
North America, Europe |
| Sepehr TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
| Setara | Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
| Setara-E-Sahar | Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
| Shahr TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
| Shamshad TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan, East Asia, Oceania |
| Sima-E-Ghoryan | Afghanistan | Afghanistan (Herat) |
| Taban | Afghanistan | Afghanistan (Herat) |
| Tamadon TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
| Tolo TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan, Central Asia, Middle East, Pakistan, South Europe, Libya |
| TOLOnews | Afghanistan | Afghanistan, Central Asia, Middle East, Pakistan, South Europe, Libya |
| Watan TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
| Zhwandoon TV | Afghanistan | Afghanistan |
[edit] Former channels
- EBC.1 was launched in 2005 as the first Afghan channel available in West and North Europe, broadcasting from Germany. It closed in late 2005 due to bankruptcy, but it was then bought by an Iranian man. EBC.1 than became a Iranian music channel, and is still active today.
- Afghanistan National Television, the first channel in the country along with RTA, closed down in 2010 after Radio Television Afghanistan, its owner, merged it with its sister channel, RTA.
- Emrooz TV closed down in July 2010, due to Anti-Shia Islam programs, and after protests from Iran and West Afghanistan.
[edit] References
- ^ a b "ISAF Spokesman Discusses Progress in Afghanistan". International Security Assistance Force/NATO. July 25, 2011. http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/isaf-releases/afghanistan-then-and-now.html. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
- ^ http://www.altaiconsulting.com/docs/media/ Altai Consulting, July 2010, Media in Afghanistan
- ^ Altai Consulting, July 2010, Media in Afghanistan
