ISLAMABAD – The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) onThursday initiated an auction for the issuance of 70 more licences forsatellite TV broadcast stations.

During the two-day auction, licences will be auctioned in seven categoriesincluding news, current affairs, education, sports, health, entertainmentand agriculture. A total of187 companies have been participating in theauction.

At the start of the auction, licences for eight new channels were offered.Total 35 companies were short listed, 21 of them participated in thebidding and 14 abstained. The base price fixed by the PEMRA for news andcurrent affairs channel was Rs 63.3 million. After a long tally of bids,the highest bid offered by eight bidders was Rs 285 million each.

The successful bidders were AAA Media House, Al-Kamal Media, ClassicEntertainment, Fifty One Corporation, Mumtaz-6A Ltd, Sardar Media and TalonMedia. Al-Kamal Media Company placed the highest bid in the category at Rs283.5 million.

Other categories being offered for auction include 27 in entertainment, 12channels of regional languages, 12 in education, five in sports, four inhealth and two in the agriculture category.

Pemra Chairman Saleem Baig, who inaugurated the process of auction, said 70licences would be issued in the two-day bidding. He said it was a landmarkoccasion as auction of licenses of 70 satellite television channelsthorough open bidding would prove a watershed in the electronic mediaindustry.

He said PEMRA had given permission for the auction in its 155th meeting andadvertisement for the purpose was given in December last year.

He said the media had played an important role in creation of awarenessamong the masses.

He said currently there were 88 satellite TV channels operational while 33were given landing rights, whereas 227 FM radio stations were also workingin the country. He said eight Internet Protocol TV licences had been issuedwhereas one Direct To Home (DTH) license was also issued and hopefully itwould become functional by the year end which would expand the media market.

Director General Licensing Vakil Ahmed Khan informed the audience thateight licenses would be auctioned for news and current affairs category, 27in entertainment, 12 in regional , five in sports, 12 in education, four inhealth and two in agricultural category.

He expressed the hope that with opening of 70 new TV channels, new jobopportunities would be created for the educated youth.

He said the authority worked in consultation with all the stakeholders andtook their input before taking important decisions.

The PEMRA chairman assured that the auction of 70 television channels wouldbe held in a transparent manner.