PTV Fee
ISLAMABAD: In a significant move aimed at providing financial relief to millions of electricity consumers across the country, the Power Division on Tuesday issued an official notification to eliminate the Pakistan Television (PTV) license fee from electricity bills.
The notification instructs all power distribution companies (DISCOs) to immediately stop charging the PTV fee, which until now had been a mandatory component of monthly electricity bills for residential, commercial, and industrial users alike.
According to officials in the Power Division, the step is part of a broader government initiative to reduce the financial burden on the public amid rising inflation and energy costs.
The final declaration is expected to be formally announced by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the coming days, with sources indicating that the government wanted to provide immediate relief ahead of the peak summer billing season.
Currently, the PTV license fee is collected from around 40 million electricity consumers across Pakistan. The fee, a fixed amount added to monthly bills, generates approximately Rs1.5 billion each month for the national broadcaster — amounting to nearly Rs16 billion annually. This amount has been deducted irrespective of whether a household or business consumes PTV content or not, leading to growing public criticism in recent years.
Many consumers have long argued that the fee is outdated and unfair in an era of digital media, where viewers have access to a wide array of private and international channels and online platforms.
The uniform deduction, without regard for viewership, had become a point of contention, especially among low-income consumers already struggling with high electricity tariffs.
In response to these concerns, the government initiated consultations with the Ministry of Information, the Power Division, and relevant stakeholders. Following these deliberations, the Power Division moved ahead with the directive to remove the fee immediately, pending final formalization by the Prime Minister.
The development has been widely welcomed by consumer rights groups and energy sector experts, who see it as a step toward greater transparency and fairness in utility billing.
Critics of the old system also pointed out that PTV should adopt modern, market-based models of funding, such as advertising and subscriptions, instead of relying on forced deductions.
With this move, electricity consumers across Pakistan can expect a small but symbolically important reduction in their monthly bills, beginning with the next billing cycle. The removal of the PTV fee also marks a shift in how state-run media is financed and signals the government’s willingness to respond to long-standing public grievances.
