The telecast of the fourth New Zealand-Pakistan T20I was halted briefly today (January 19) on Pakistan’s PTV Sports after a poster of Imran Khan carried by a fan at the ground was displayed.
What happened?
During the seventh over of New Zealand’s innings, between deliveries, a fan was shown on television holding a poster of Imran Khan that read ‘Legend of Legends’. The national sports broadcaster, he PTV Sports, was immediately suspended. This is usually unexpected in a cricket match where ads are displayed after the over.
Anyone knows why PTV suddenly stopped suddenly streaming of the cricket match when they realised Imran Khan’s poster was being shown? pic.twitter.com/jvGIrxisNl
– PTI (@PTIofficial) 19. 2024 January 1
The coverage was paused for approximately 7 seconds, during which the station displayed the logo in place of the game. The action continued when Mohammad Wasim Jr. attempted to bowl his fourth ball of the over to Glenn Phillips in the middle of a run.
Recently, PTV Sports also stopped broadcasting the Australia-Pakistan Test series due to an advertisement for an alternative betting company at the MCG.
What caused the halt?
Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has effectively issued a ban on Pakistan’s former prime minister, preventing Imran from being mentioned on television. PEMRA’s set of guidelines banned the broadcast of his speeches because he promoted hate speech against the government and the military.
PEMRA banned mentions of people who spread hate speech on broadcasts in May last year after Imran was arrested on corruption charges. Imran’s name has not been officially released, but Pakistani broadcasters have since refrained from giving him airtime.
In December 2023, the media was also prohibited from reporting on his closed trial.
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