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The government has launched a “New Media” project to produce digital content for Bangladesh Television (BTV), Bangladesh Betar and private television channels in line with the demands of the digital era.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan announced the initiative at a press conference held at the Secretariat on Sunday. He said the project, being implemented by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and BTV, is expected to show visible progress within the current fiscal year.
The minister also said the government had significantly reduced the cost of acquiring the broadcasting rights for the 2026 FIFA World Cup by purchasing the media rights directly from FIFA and recovering most of the expenditure through sub-licensing.
According to him, Bangladesh purchased the media rights directly from FIFA for US$3.85 million and later recovered almost the entire amount by sub-licensing the rights to four local organisations. As a result, the government’s direct financial burden has been reduced to between Tk 30 million and Tk 50 million, which he said could also be recovered through further negotiations.
Referring to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Swapan alleged that the previous Awami League government had caused a loss of around Tk 1.4 billion by purchasing broadcasting rights through intermediaries instead of directly from FIFA.
He claimed that although the 2022 rights were originally acquired from FIFA for US$3.2 million, Bangladesh Television later purchased them for Tk 980 million through middlemen, while additional broadcasting rights were sold to private television channels for nearly Tk 390 million. He alleged that the entire process involved corruption and irregularities.
The minister said an investigation into the matter is underway and legal action will be taken against those found responsible.
BTV Director General Md Mahbubul Alam said a departmental inquiry had already begun. He added that the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) was also conducting a preliminary investigation into the alleged irregularities.
Information Secretary Md Shah Alam said special measures had been taken to protect the World Cup broadcasts from cyber threats.
“There were concerns about possible cyberattacks during the broadcasts. However, BTV engineers, telecommunications experts and other relevant officials worked together to ensure secure transmission while fully complying with FIFA’s broadcasting requirements,” he said.
The government also announced plans to introduce a “Sports Card” programme aimed at encouraging greater youth participation in sports and creating opportunities for professional development in the sector.
Principal Information Officer Syed Abdal Ahmed was also present at the press conference.