Sangsad Bangladesh Television should not be confused with Sansad TV.
| Sangsad Bangladesh Television সংসদ বাংলাদেশ টেলিভিশন | |
| Picture Format: | 1080i HDTV (downscaled to 576i for SDTV sets) |
| Network: | Public |
| Owner: | Government of Bangladesh |
| Country: | Bangladesh |
| Language: | Bengali |
| Area: | Nationwide |
| Headquarters: | Rampura, Dhaka |
| Sister Channels: | BTV National BTV World BTV Chattogram |
Sangsad Bangladesh Television, often known as Sangsad Television,[1] branded on-air as Sangsad Bangladesh, is a Bangladeshi state-owned parliamentary television channel, which is the sister of Bangladesh Television. It was launched on 25 January 2011, and broadcasts live from the National Parliament of Bangladesh.[2] [3]
Other than that, variety of other programming, such as ones that are educational and regarding development, is broadcast during the channel's last two hours of daily broadcasting.[4] [5] However, in case if there is no parliamentary session, Sangsad Television broadcasts daily from 18:00 to 20:00 (BST).[6] The channel is operated by the Ministry of Information, and is a terrestrial television channel.[7] [8] It is also a free-to-air television channel.[9]
On 11 February 2010, Member of Parliament Benzir Ahmed proposed the launch of a television channel named 'Sangsad Bangladesh' for the need to broadcast live parliament sessions to the people.[10]
Sangsad Television began broadcasting on 25 January 2011 on both satellite and digital terrestrial television, after the legislature voted in favor of establishing a channel dedicated to live parliamentary broadcasts, using the facilities of Bangladesh Television.[11] [12] [10] [13] On 9 February 2020, due to technical difficulties, Sangsad Television did not show live parliamentary broadcasts, and instead broadcast music programming that day.[14]
In March 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused schools to shutdown in Bangladesh, Sangsad Television, along with BTV, began airing educational live lessons for primary and secondary-level students.[15] [16] The channel had become more important for students to learn at home.[17] [18]
In May 2021, Sangsad Television became available to be streamed worldwide, along with its three sister channels, via the BTV app.[19] In May 2022, the government of Bangladesh ordered the broadcast of Sangsad Television, along with its sisters, in airports across the country.[20] After the arson attack at Bangladesh Television's headquarters on 18 July 2024 during the quota reform protests, Sangsad Television temporarily ceased transmissions on that day.[21]
Sangsad Television mainly broadcasts live broadcasts from the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban during the evenings. It also sometimes broadcasts the history of the Parliament of Bangladesh and its legislative practices overseas.[2] During the COVID-19 pandemic, Sangsad Television aired live lessons for students with time slots depending on the grade level.[16] The channel uses Bangabandhu-1 for broadcasting on satellite television.[22]