JournalismPakistan.com | Published June 23, 2013
Join our WhatsApp channel
ISLAMABAD: Geo News had an average reach of around 7 million cable and satellite viewers in May making it the top news channel, according to a Gallup Pakistan TV Ratings Service report.
Second in line was PTV News with only 1.5 million viewers, the report said while pointing out that figures released do not count the viewership of terrestrial TV viewers.
These terrestrial viewers still occupy a majority of TV viewers in the country. Similarly the figures released are for top news channels only, and do not include, for example, entertainment channels, music channels, etc.
May being the election month, the viewership of some channels saw a rise and surprisingly some international channels including BBC and CNN also came in the top 10 list.
Gallup Pakistan's TV Ratings service is based on a panel of over 5000 households spread across both urban and rural areas of Pakistan (covering all four provinces).
The Gallup Ratings are currently the only barometer of measuring audience size in terms of population size. It also allows data mining capability for analysis at the demographic level.
The list below shows the top ten news channels for May 2013:
Geo News (Average reach %: 16.568; Average reach `000: 7,027)
PTV News (Average reach %: 3.647; Average reach `000: 1,547)
ARY News (Average reach %: 3.391; Average reach `000: 1,438)
Express News (Average reach %: 3.167; Average reach `000: 1,343)
Aaj News (Average reach %: 2.32; Average reach `000: 984)
Samaa TV (Average reach %: 2.105; Average reach `000: 893)
BBC World (Average reach %: 1.138; Average reach `000: 483)
CNN (Average reach %: 0.958; Average reach `000: 406)
KTN News (Average reach %: 0.892; Average reach `000: 378)
Indus News (Average reach %: 0.851; Average reach `000: 361)
April 11, 2025: Sindhi journalist AD Shar was brutally murdered in Khairpur, Sindh. His body was found dumped on Handiyari Link Road. PFUJ has declared a three-day mourning period and demanded justice.
April 10, 2025: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir government has filed a case against The Daily Jammu & Kashmir and its staff for alleged fake news, drawing condemnation from PFUJ and IFJ, who demand immediate withdrawal of the FIR and an end to media repression in Pakistan.
April 08, 2025: Journalist Arzoo Kazmi alleges that Pakistan's state agencies, including the FIA, have blocked her CNIC, passport, and bank account while threatening her. She calls it a direct attack on journalism.
April 07, 2025: The Islamabad High Court has directed IG Islamabad to produce journalist Ahmad Noorani’s missing brothers, as the Ministry of Defence denies custody. SIM activity was traced in Bahawalpur, and investigations into their suspected abduction continue.
April 07, 2025: Journalist and Raftar founder Farhan Mallick has been granted bail by a Karachi court in a case concerning anti-state content aired on his YouTube channel. He still faces separate charges related to an alleged illegal call center and data theft.
April 03, 2025: Veteran journalist Ghulam Abbas Shah has joined Discover Pakistan Television as the Head of Programming. With 25 years of experience in leading news organizations, he looks forward to contributing to quality storytelling and content.
April 02, 2025: The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has strongly condemned the visit of a group of Pakistani journalists to Israel, calling it a violation of journalistic ethics and a betrayal of press freedom and human rights. PFUJ demands a transparent investigation into the matter.
March 30, 2025: Dawn criticizes Pakistan’s plan to use TV dramas against extremism, highlighting financial and digital challenges. Can media alone solve deep-rooted issues?
April 03, 2025 The International Press Institute (IPI) and International Media Support (IMS) invite nominations for the 2025 World Press Freedom Hero and Free Media Pioneer Awards. Recognizing courageous journalists and innovative media, the awards will be presented at IPI’s 75th-anniversary World Congress in Vienna. Submit your nominations by April 30, 2025.
April 01, 2025 Photojournalist Suresh Rajak was burned alive while covering a violent protest in Kathmandu. The IFJ and its affiliates condemn the attack and call for an urgent investigation to hold the perpetrators accountable.
April 01, 2025 Assam Police arrested digital journalist Dilwar Hussain Mozumder for covering a protest against alleged corruption at Assam Co-Operative Bank. Media organizations have condemned the arrest, calling it an attack on press freedom.
March 29, 2025 A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to dismantle Voice of America (VOA), ruling that the move likely violated legal procedures. The decision protects over 1,200 journalists and media staff.
March 28, 2025 Turkey deports BBC journalist Mark Lowen over 'public order' threat and fines opposition TV channels covering Istanbul Mayor's arrest. Critics condemn crackdown on press freedom amid rising political tensions.