ISLAMABAD – Geo private TV channel went off air at any time all over Pakistan after moving to Paksat’s newly commissioned satellite service.
According to the channel’s website, the channel with the help of the Paksat Technical Network Center shifted all its channels to Paksat on March 31 and despite informing the cable operators, the channel was informed by Pakistani officials that it can be taken off-air. Paksat and GEO TV have finalised the contract for satellite service after lengthy negotiations and Paksat issued the frequencies for a satellite transponder to Geo TV Network on March 25.
The media group claims that its satellite contract with its existing satellite provider ended this month, and they moved to Paksat. The channel’s employees, especially the news and talkshow hosts tweeted about the channel’s closure.
Geo News shut down after it was shifted from a foreign satellite to a Pakistani satellite operated by State actors pic.twitter.com/3rnfApdVOE
— Hamid Mir (@HamidMirGEO) April 1, 2016
GEO BLOCKED: GEO News, GEO Entertnmnt n AAG blocked on DishNetwork in US n Canada. Hamid Mir had warned it was coming. Whats d status in Pak
— SHAHEEN SEHBAI (@SSEHBAI1) April 1, 2016
@SSEHBAI1 @MurtazaGeoNews Geo blocked on PAKSAT but not blocked in the hearts and minds of those who always stand by truth
— Hamid Mir (@HamidMirGEO) April 1, 2016
Geo moved to PakSat and then its signal was blocked. Now it is off-air.
— Syed Talat Hussain (@TalatHussain12) April 1, 2016
The channel’s website protested what it called the ‘discriminatory’ attitude of authorities regarding Geo TV, adding that the channel has already incurred a loss of billions of rupees as it’s distribution system on the cable network had not been made fully operational by the government.
However, independent reports and tweets later confirmed that the channel is back on television sets.
Geo is now available via cable to my home in Islamabad.
— Nusrat Javeed (@javeednusrat) April 1, 2016
Geo is back
— Ansar Abbasi (@AnsarAAbbasi) April 1, 2016
