Bashir Ahmed, Dhaka: In Bangladesh, there are more than forty (45) private television channels, 28 FM, and 32 community radio stations, To add to that, there are also 1248 daily newspapers and countless online news portals._x000D_ _x000D_ According to an online report citing corporate research, the media industry in Bangladesh is huge, and it's worth as much as Tk 27 billion (2016). It has a rapid growth with an annual rate of 10-12 per cent. Despite the media's attachment to this huge financial transaction or money generation, very few media houses are or have been in the past without any sort of crisis and running smoothly._x000D_ _x000D_ We can take this discussion far too long However, we want to take the discussion forward with a little side view. In terms of the number of TV channels, radio and online portals, who actually manage them, or who is actually backing them behind the institutions, or to put it bluntly, who owns them - this is an important question and too soft to ignore._x000D_ _x000D_ A review of the ownership information of the media in Bangladesh makes something very sound and clear. Mostly they are (1) Controlled by family. (2) The owner is directly or indirectly involved in politics. (3) Almost all media outlets are owned by huge business groups._x000D_ _x000D_ If we go deep inside and verify the information on licensing and ownership of private TV in Bangladesh, we can see that licenses have always been given for political considerations. And they (licences) are considered political investments. The license was given on political considerations but later when it was transferred to someone else, there were also political considerations. At the time of this handover, the intelligence agencies of the country check whether it is falling into the hands of the right political person._x000D_ _x000D_ There is nothing called public media or independent journalism. In TV media, almost all the time questions are being asked by all parties and also asked (they) media, speakers, or flag holders of the ruling party. We can provide a few examples of how strongly controlled media ownership is, top five television channels are directly owned by MPs from the current ruling party. They are Morshed Alam (RTV), Golam Dastgir Gazi (Gazi TV), Kamal Ahmed Majumder (Mohana TV), Salma Islam (Jamuna TV), and Shahriar Alam (Durant TV). Apart from this, Salman F Rahman, appointed as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's private industry and investment adviser, owns a private television channel named Independent TV._x000D_ _x000D_ _x000D_ _x000D_ The Providing Licence of private television began in 1996–2001, when the Awami League took the lead to lead the country. Only a few four licences were issued. After that when the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) came to rule and gave 5(five) licenses._x000D_ _x000D_ The highest number of licences was issued in 2009, when Awami League came to power once again In that term, Awami League transformed the television license into a mess like a fish market. A total of 29 TV licenses are exempted and the run of giving licences went on and on as the current ruling party issued another 7( seven) licences for electronics media (Television)_x000D_ _x000D_ In three terms, Awami League licenced 40 televisions in the country, and in one term, BNP licensed 5 televisions. Without a shadow of doubt, all the licenses were granted for political reasons. Interestingly enough these were obtained either by political leaders or MPs or businessmen close to the two parties._x000D_ _x000D_ Let's go to history. If we go back to 1999, Then we saw that Sajjat Ali got licenced for a television called Ten TV. But when BNP came out all gun-blazing to rule the country the license was bought by Mohammad Mosaddeq Ali, a close leader of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, on January 30, 2003. Later Ten TV was renamed NTV. BNP was a bit more gracious in giving a license as once again MP from BNP Mushfiqur Rahman got license of Desh Tv as a gift. The game of power always ruled in the media world of Bangladesh as the government changed, and what we saw? it was seen that most of the shares were bought by the influential leader of the Awami League, Saber Hossain Chowdhury._x000D_ _x000D_ The Association of Television Channel Owners (ATCO) has alleged that media outlets critical of the government risk losing their revenue to the organisation. Government agencies pressure private companies not to advertise in these media, And what stands behind the curtain is controlled by these organizations. This organisation has created 'self-censorship' in the television media of Bangladesh._x000D_ _x000D_ When the military-backed government came to rule in 2007–2008, direct intervention by government agencies to modify media content and news became very much evident._x000D_ _x000D_ _x000D_ _x000D_ Interestingly, media owners have always been willing to ally with political parties. A draft 'Establishment and Management of Private Television Channels Policy 2012' was proposed, which said that political parties and persons associated with them would be prohibited from owning television channels._x000D_ _x000D_ The then president of ATCO and former BNP leader, Mosaddek Ali Falu, opposed it. At the time, he argued that the media sector had achieved a lot in the past decade and that the government's supportive policies had helped create new media outlets._x000D_ _x000D_ This culture also exists in the field of print media, and satellites have been added to these. However, even though media houses are getting larger in every passing day, the question remains whether the quality of news is increasing or not. And we have to know that The reliability of news depends on the credibility of the informant, the one who is providing information._x000D_ _x000D_ It is also important to know how the media is controlled in Bangladesh, how its ownership has changed over time, and how closely the owners of media outlets are tied to the major political parties._x000D_ _x000D_ With time, the number of news providers increases, and so does the tendency to control them. And when the owner is himself politically blessed, his organization suppresses the true news like a fart in the wind and ladies and gentlemen as you know that's the problem.