Diganta Television

Diganta Television
Country	Bangladesh
Broadcast area	Nationwide
Headquarters	Syed Nazrul Islam Sharoni, Purana Paltan, Dhaka
Programming
Language(s)	Bengali
Ownership
Owner	Diganta Media Corporation
History
Launched	28 August 2008; 16 years ago
Closed	6 May 2013; 11 years ago
Links
Website	www.digantatv.online

Diganta Television (Bengali: দিগন্ত টেলিভিশন; lit. 'horizon television')^[2] was a Bangladeshi Bengali-language privately owned satellite and cable news television channel founded in 2007.^[3] The channel was owned Diganta Media Corporation, which also owns the daily newspaper Daily Naya Diganta. Diganta Television officially began broadcasting on 28 August 2008,^[4] and was shut down along with Islamic TV on 6 May 2013, both of which were assumed to be supporting the Jamaat-e-Islami political party, and as a result faced boycotts during the 2013 Shahbag protests.^[5]^[6]

History

Closure

During the 2013 Shapla Square protests, as the channels were reporting on police action following the rally of Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh,^[7] the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission forced Diganta Television off the air, along with Islamic TV, on 6 May 2013, at about 4:30 am.^[8] The chief reporter of the channel, M. Kamruzzaman, said that around 25 plain-clothed policemen and an official from the broadcast commission had entered their studios without warning at dawn.^[9] According to Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu, it was taken off the air as its reporting on the raid on Hefazat contained "irresponsible exaggerations and misinformation to inflame public opinion, a violation of the conditions of its license."^[10]^[11] Critics have alleged this an instance of the Sheikh Hasina government of using the Islamist issue to silence dissidents.^[10]

Although the channels were shut down, their licenses have not been revoked. Former Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasanul Haq Inu stated that no fixed decision was made regarding the licenses of Diganta Television and Islamic TV, calling both of them "riot instigators" while stating the reason behind the ban, which was incitement against the government.^[12]^[13]^[14]

Tentative return to broadcasting

Following Sheikh Hasina's resignation on 5 August 2024 caused by the anti-government protests in Bangladesh, all the former staff members went to the headquarters of Diganta Television for the first time since its closure the following day.^[15] Discussions to resume broadcasts of the channel took place there.^[16] Dhaka Reporters Unity demanded immediate reinstation of all unjustly closed media outlets in Bangladesh, including Diganta Television.^[17] The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting later withdrew the closure order of Diganta Television and allowed the channel to return to the air once again.^[18]^[19] Ziaul Kabir Sumon, the chief news editor, stated that after getting a Bangabandhu-1 frequency after applying to the BTRC, Diganta would officially go on the air after over a decade of absence.^[20]

Programming

Diganta Television mostly aired news programming for sixteen hours per day. Other than that, other types of programming were aired on the channel.^[21]