ABSTRACT
Before the liberalisation of television in 2000, Pakistan had one terrestrial channel.
The Pakistan Television Corporation (commonly known as PTV) had been the state
broadcaster since 1964 and thus PTV content reflected the policies of different
governments. Liberal governments relaxed control over gender on screen – women
could be seen without dupatta – while religiously inclined governments brought in
their own agendas with restrictions on appearance of women, such as the dupatta
policy (see, for example, Ali, 1986; Suleman, 1990; Kothari, 2005; Nasir, 2012).1 In
2002, the Independent Media Corporation launched its channel Geo News from
Pakistan, followed by other networks, marking the formal launch of the policy of
liberalisation of media on television. Presently, five media groups have control of the
Pakistani media industry, including electronic and print media. These are Inde-
pendent Media Corporation, Pakistan Herald Publications, ARY Group, Waqt
Group and Lakson Group (see for example Proffitt and Rasul, 2013). The broad-
casting industry in Pakistan follows an advertiser-driven model that is run through a
system of ratings. At the time of the fieldwork reported here (October-April 2011),
Media Logic and Gallup were the two operators that determined the popular tastes
of consumers through ratings.2
