• Following the July uprising that ousted the Awami League government, the interim administration has granted licenses to two new private satellite television channels—Next TV and Live TV—under the same process used by the previous regime.

Next TV has been licensed to Md. Arifur Rahman Tuhin, joint chief coordinator of the National Citizens’ Party (NCP). Tuhin joined the National Citizens’ Committee in December 2024 and later became one of the party’s key coordinators. Earlier, he worked as a staff reporter for an English daily.

Live TV, meanwhile, has been licensed to another Arifur Rahman, who completed his studies at the Institute of Education and Research, University of Dhaka, about six years ago. During his student years, he served as a university correspondent for an English-language newspaper and was once a member of the National Citizens’ Committee, though he did not join the NCP.

Questions have been raised about whether either license holder has the financial capacity to operate a television channel. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’s advisor, Mahfuz Alam, did not respond to inquiries on what criteria were used in granting the licenses.

A ministry official, requesting anonymity, confirmed that the approvals were issued “following previous practice”, noting that a formal broadcast policy framework is still in progress.

During the Awami League’s 15-year rule, 28 private TV licenses were issued—mostly to businesspeople, journalists, and politicians close to the government. Concerns over the editorial independence of many of those channels persisted for years.

Currently, 50 private TV channels have official approval; 36 are fully operational, while 14 await launch. Additionally, 15 IP TV (Internet Protocol Television) outlets have been authorized, and several more applications remain pending.