Channel 16 (Bangladesh)
Defunct Bangladeshi music channel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Channel 16 (Bengali: চ্যানেল সিক্সটিন; in reference to 16 December) was a Bangladeshi Bengali-language satellite and cable music-oriented television channel owned and operated by Insight Telecast. The channel was permitted to broadcast via a Singaporean satellite and officially began broadcasting on 16 December 2011. It was ordered to be shut down by Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission on 2 December 2014.[2]
| |
| Country | Bangladesh |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Karwan Bazar, Dhaka[1] |
| Programming | |
| Language | Bengali |
| Picture format | 576i SDTV |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Insight Telecast |
| History | |
| Launched | 16 December 2011 |
| Closed | 2 December 2014 |
| Links | |
| Website | channel-16tv |
It was the first and the sole music channel in Bangladesh until the launch of Gaan Bangla in 2013. Channel 16's managing director was K G Muheet, who had requested the government to let him run a downlinked privately owned satellite television channel in 2008.[3] Despite only being allowed to broadcast from abroad, Channel 16 illegally broadcast from Dhaka, and even via the Israel-based RRsat satellite.[3][4] Although defunct on linear television, the channel has currently been streaming online through Twitch.[5]
Closure order
After its license for test broadcasting expired on 30 November 2013, being left unrenewed since then,[6] the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission obliged Channel 16 to cease all transmissions by 2 December 2014.[7] Prior to this, in July 2014, the Association of Television Channel Owners sent a letter to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting demanding Channel 16 be taken off the air, accusing the channel of violating government regulations.[8][9]
However, by that point, it illegally continued broadcasting by ceasing to identify itself as Channel 16 and began using the letter 'k' as its on-screen bug,[7] and later began identifying itself as 'MB', or sometimes 'Music Bangla', along with its on-screen bug involving a clock.[10] It has also been accused of broadcasting while evading government fees and alleged forgery of signature when they sent a letter to the ministry which allegedly had the name and forged signature of Dhaka Zilla Council administrator Hasina Doula, who denied connections with the channel.[3]
Programming
List of programming
- Alapcharita[11]
- Band Hour[11]
- Bondhu Amar[12]
- By Demand[11]
- Dhamaka 16[11]
- Eito Cinemar Gaan[11]
- Khosh Golpo[11]
- Love Song[11]
- Muslim Rangapori Bhalo Lagar Gaan[11]
- Naṭoker Gaan[11]
- Solo Tune[11]
- Sure Sure Bangladesh[11]
- Surer Oikkoṭan[11]
- Suresh Romnopali Fita[11]
- Tenida[11]
- Top Ten[11]
- Young Star Dhamaka[11]