Ekattor TV

This article is about the Bangladeshi TV channel. For the radio station, see Radio Ekattor. For the web series, see Ekattor (web series).

Ekattor TV
একাত্তর টিভি
CountryBangladesh
Broadcast areaNationwide
Headquarters57 Sohrawardi Avenue, Baridhara, Dhaka
Programming
Language(s)Bengali
Picture format1080i HDTV (downscaled to 16:9 576i for SDTV sets)
Ownership
OwnerMeghna Group of Industries
History
Launched21 June 2012; 12 years ago (2012-06-21)
Links
Websitewww.ekattor.tv
Ekattor TV
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2006–present
GenreNews (in Bengali)
Subscribers5.60 million[1]
Total views2.20 billion[1]
1,000,000 subscribers2020[2]
Last updated: 30 Jan 2023

Ekattor TV (Bengali: একাত্তর টিভি; lit. 'seventy-one tv', in reference to the 1971 War)[3] is a Bangladeshi Bengali-language satellite and cable news television channel owned by the Meghna Group of Industries,[4] commencing transmissions on 21 June 2012, as Bangladesh's first news-oriented television channel broadcasting in full HD. Ekattor is among the most popular news-oriented television channels in the country.[5] The channel broadcasts from its headquarters in the Sohrawardi Avenue of Baridhara.[6]

Ownership

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After the change of political power in 2009, Mozammel Hossain sold half of the shares owned by himself and his relatives in the name of Mustafa Kamal and his one son and two daughters in Meghna Group.[7]

History

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Ekattor received its broadcasting license from the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, along with several other privately owned Bangladeshi television channels, on 20 October 2009.[8] It was officially launched on 21 June 2012 by former chairman Fazlul Haque Khan, with its slogan being "Sangbad Noy Songjog" (সংবাদ নয় সংযোগ; lit. 'Connection, not news'), as the fourth news-oriented television channel in Bangladesh.[9][10] The channel received an award for the best news channel for 2013 from the Bangladesh Cable Television Viewers Forum in May 2014. One of its programs, Ekattor Journal, was also awarded the best talk show.[11]

The founder chairman of Ekattor, Fazlul Haque Khan, died on 9 March 2016.[10] Ekattor was one of the nine Bangladeshi television channels to sign an agreement with Bdnews24.com to subscribe to a video-based news agency run by children called Prism in May 2016.[12] In July 2017, Ekattor, along with four other television channels in Bangladesh, signed an agreement with UNICEF to air children's programming for one minute.[13] In December 2018, Ekattor began broadcasting using the Bangabandhu-1 satellite.[14] On 13 August 2022, Ekattor broadcast a meeting regarding global energy crisis and the challenges of Bangladesh live.[15]

Broadcast suspensions

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During the anti-government protests in Bangladesh which resulted in the resignation of prime minister Sheikh Hasina on 5 August 2024, the headquarters of Ekattor were attacked and vandalized. Several pieces of equipment for broadcasting were looted. Besides Ekattor, the headquarters of several other television channels were heavily vandalized.[16][17] As a result, Ekattor temporarily ceased all transmissions, alongside seven other channels.[18]

Controversies and boycotts

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In 2017, Ekattor's website was hacked by Islamists who demanded "atheist media" to halt all "anti-Islam" activities.[19] Ekattor was accused of airing "anti-social" news reports and Nurul Haq Nur even called for a boycott of the channel in 2020, which was condemned by Editors Guild Bangladesh.[20] Bangladeshi Islamic scholars, such as Mizanur Rahman Azhari, also called for a boycott of Ekattor as it was accused of airing anti-Islam content.[21][22] In 2023, BNP also boycotted talk shows on this channel, alleging 'bias'.[23][24]

In 2023, Rumor Scanner, a fact-checking organization, listed Ekattor TV as the fifth biggest publisher of fake news in Bangladesh.[25][26][27]

On 21 August 2024, the station's former head of news, Shakil Ahmed and his wife, Farzana Rupa, who was also the station's former principal correspondent, were arrested at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport while on their way to board a flight to Paris on suspicion of instigating the killing of a garment worker who died while participating in a demonstration in Uttara, Dhaka on 5 August. The arrest prompted Human Rights Watch to issue its concern over the matter.[28]

Programming

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "About Ekattor TV". YouTube.
  2. ^ "TOTAL SUBSCRIBERS & VIDEO VIEW MONTHLY GRAPHS FOR EKATTOR TV".
  3. ^ Biswas, Sailendra (2000). "Samsad Bengali-English dictionary. 3rd ed". Calcutta: Sahitya Samsad. p. 182. Archived from the original on 3 October 2023.
  4. ^ "Media". Meghna Group of Industries. Archived from the original on 17 April 2024. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  5. ^ এক যুগে একাত্তর, যুগ বদলে একাত্তর. Ekattor TV (in Bengali). 21 June 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
  6. ^ "About Us". ekattor.tv. Archived from the original on 4 February 2024. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  7. ^ বিক্রি হয়ে যাচ্ছে টিভি চ্যানেলের মালিকানা. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). 20 October 2013. Archived from the original on 28 July 2024. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  8. ^ অনুমোদনের অপেক্ষায় আরো ১৩ টিভি. BDNews24 (in Bengali). 25 November 2013. Archived from the original on 29 June 2024. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  9. ^ ২১ জুন পূর্ণাঙ্গ সম্প্রচারে আসছে একাত্তর টিভি. BanglaNews24 (in Bengali). 18 June 2012. Archived from the original on 3 October 2023. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  10. ^ a b "Ekattor TV's founder Fazlul Haque passes away". Dhaka Tribune. 9 March 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  11. ^ "Ekattor, ATN Bangla best TV channels". The Daily Star. 29 May 2014. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  12. ^ "Prism signs up with 7 TV channels". BDNews24. 17 May 2016. Archived from the original on 1 November 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  13. ^ আরও ৫ টিভিতে শিশুদের জন্য এক মিনিট. Samakal (in Bengali). 18 July 2017. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  14. ^ বঙ্গবন্ধু-১ স্যাটেলাইট থেকে সেবা নিচ্ছে সাত চ্যানেল. Jagonews24.com (in Bengali). 26 December 2018. Archived from the original on 15 September 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  15. ^ 'বিশ্ব জ্বালানি সংকট ও বাংলাদেশের চ্যালেঞ্জ' শীর্ষক গোলটেবিল বৈঠক শুরু. Bangla Tribune (in Bengali). 13 August 2022. Archived from the original on 3 October 2023. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  16. ^ একাত্তর টিভি ও ডিবিসি কার্যালয়ে হামলা. BDNews24 (in Bengali). 5 August 2024. Archived from the original on 14 August 2024. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  17. ^ সময়-একাত্তরসহ ৫ টেলিভিশন অফিসে হামলা. Samakal (in Bengali). 5 August 2024. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  18. ^ একাত্তর-এটিএনসহ ৬ টিভির সম্প্রচার বন্ধ. Dhaka Tribune (in Bengali). 6 August 2024. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  19. ^ "Ekattor TV website hacked". The Daily Star. 3 August 2017. Archived from the original on 3 October 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  20. ^ "Editors Guild condemns VP Nur's call to boycott media including 71 TV". The Asian Age. 15 October 2020. Archived from the original on 3 October 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  21. ^ নূরের একাত্তর টিভি বর্জন, একাত্তরের মিথ্যাচারের অভিযোগ. Deutsche Welle (in Bengali). 15 October 2020. Archived from the original on 3 October 2023. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  22. ^ একাত্তর টিভিকে বয়কট করুন : আজহারী. Daily Inqilab (in Bengali). 14 October 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  23. ^ "BNP boycotts Somoy, Ekattor TV talk shows over 'biasness'". The Business Standard. 8 August 2023. Archived from the original on 29 July 2024.
  24. ^ "BNP boycotts talk show of two private TV channels alleging 'bias'". Prothom Alo. 8 August 2023. Archived from the original on 29 July 2024.
  25. ^ "Fact-checkers find no New Age report as fake". New Age (Bangladesh). Archived from the original on 28 July 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  26. ^ দেশের গণমাধ্যমে ভুয়া খবরের সংখ্যা বেড়েছে ৩ গুণ. The Daily Star (in Bengali). 1 May 2024. Archived from the original on 28 July 2024. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  27. ^ "Mushfiqur takes legal action against Ekattor TV over 'false report'". The Business Standard. 9 December 2023. Archived from the original on 13 December 2023.
  28. ^ "Bangladesh court sends 2 journalists to police custody for questioning as chaos continues". Associated Press. 22 August 2024. Archived from the original on 23 August 2024. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  29. ^ a b c ২ জুলাই, মঙ্গলবার. BDNews24 (in Bengali). 1 July 2013. Archived from the original on 26 December 2022. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  30. ^ Sameer Kumar Dey (23 October 2018). 'বিশ্বের সাতটি টক শো'র একটি তৃতীয় মাত্রা'. Deutsche Welle (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 24 October 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
  31. ^ এবার মাশরাফির প্রশ্ন, বিসিবি কি আমার ফিটনেসের তথ্য রাখে. Samakal (in Bengali). 23 March 2021. Archived from the original on 3 October 2023. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
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