Information Minister and Joint General Secretary of Aotami League said that YouTube channel and IP TVs will only work as entertainment channels. Hasan Mahmud said, ‘IP TV can do everything else, but it will not be able to do the job of the news for now. It is the decision of our Ministry's inter-ministerial meeting.’
Bangladesh Secretariat Reporters Forum (BSRF) dialogue at Chief Information Officer Surath Kumar Sarkar spoke at the event.
Incidentally, there are many YouTube channels and IP TVs who broadcast news as well as entertainment programs, and if this decision of the ministry is implemented, they will not be able to broadcast the news.
There are many YouTube channels who are running online activities. What are the next instructions for them? When asked, the information minister said, ‘We have called for registration of YouTube channels or IP TVs that are there. We have called for an application for the investigation. After the preliminary investigation is over, we will start the registration work. That's why it has been decided in the inter-ministerial meeting that IP TVs will only act as entertainment channels.’
In response to the questions of the journalists, the information minister said, ‘YouTube channel and IP TV will not be able to create a news environment. Even when a television channel is allowed, they will not be allowed to report the news at the beginning. Therefore, they have to fill some parameters, then they will be allowed to publish the news. So they can do everything else in the case of IP TV but they will not be able to do the work of serving the news for now. It is an inter-ministerial meeting decision.’
When asked what level of online registration issue the online registration issue is, he said, ‘Online registration is being done. Already many online news portals have been registered. The rest will be given soon. But since the rest is online, the registration process will take a few months. We can give it a year after the investigation company's report is given.’
Regarding the online registration, the minister further said, ‘I will finish the online registration within this year, that means it will not be paid later, but it will not be published online in the future. The permission for the publication of the magazine and television broadcasting is the source of permission for the future. We can go to the final stage of this registration. Then we will add the poison of permission to open the online.’