Lahore High Court has requested Pakistan’s broadcast regulatory body to start the bidding process for direct-to-home (DTH) licences again, after it declared the recent auction null and void.
The recent DTH licence auction, organised by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), barred broadcasters from bidding, due to what it believed would be a conflict of interest. However, the court said the restriction was based on a presumption that any vertical integration between broadcast media and distribution services would result in undue concentration of ownership.The DTH auction, which took place on 23 November 2016, saw three companies win DTH licences for 15 years for PKR4.898 billion each.
With the new court order, Pakistan’s broadcasters such as GEO and ARY will now be able to bid to operate DTH satellite TV services in the country.
PEMRA is entitled to challenge the ruling in the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
