Television started broadcasting in Afghanistan in 1977, flourishing until the 1990s, when hostilities in the capital Kabul destroyed broadcasting infrastructure. Between 1996 and 2000, the Taliban government outlawed television, though some stations in areas outside Taliban control continued to broadcast. After their removal, country-wide television broadcasting was resumed beginning with the government-run channel Afghanistan National Television. It was reported that Afghanistan currently has over 200 local and international television channels, 96 in Kabul and 107 in other provinces of the country. In 2014, the country commenced a switched from analog to digital TV transmission.
History
The state owned Radio Television Afghanistan launched the first TV channel in Afghanistan, after the completion of feasibility study under grant aid from Japan, construction work of the studio and transmitter buildings were finished by August 1978. During the 1980s, many Soviet programs were airing such as the children's show Nu Pogodi!. The studios of RTA were also often used by musicians to record music videos. From 1992 onward television went into decline as a result of the war in Kabul, destroying infrastructure. During the Taliban government between 1996 and 2001, television was strictly banned and stores selling TVs, satellite dishes, VCRs, or other similar technology entertainment devices were closed. Anyone owning or watching TV was arrested and punished. The national television broadcaster was closed down, whilst private broadcasters' buildings and studios were smashed by the regime's police. A smaller territory that was controlled by the Northern Alliance in the country's northeast province of Badakhshan had a television channel financed by the Northern Alliance that broadcast, with a weak signal, news and movies to approximately 5,000 people in the city ofFayzabad. The station had a large library of movies and documentaries on VHS and Betamax for broadcasting, and the American movie First Blood was reportedly the most favored by watchers. When the Karzai administration came to power in December 2001, Afghanistan's earliest television channel was relaunched. Later, Tolo and Shamshad TV became one of the first commercial TV stations in the country and laid the foundation for an accessible media outlet by offering a large library of shows. In 2014, Afghanistan launched a pact with Eutelsat for a satellite, which was launched in 2014 as Afghansat 1 and transmits TV channels. As of 2019, Afghanistan has over 200 local and international television channels, 96 in Kabul and 107 in other provinces of the country.
According to The Asia Foundation's report "A Survey of the Afghan People in 2016", ownership of television is concentrated in urban areas, where electricity is more dependable and corresponds to increased household income. The central region exhibits the highest TV ownership, with 53.3% of households having one TV set, followed closely by the East and South West regions. Nearly two-thirds of Afghans report watching TV programs. Tolo was reported to be the most watched network, followed by Ariana Television Network, Shamshad TV, and Lemar. Another study conducted by Gallup in 2015 found that Tolo was most popular with females, whereas RTA was most popular with males. Weekly TV viewing was highest in the north of the country, lowest in the east.
