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Native name | بول |
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Romanized name | Bol (lit. 'speak') |
Company type | Private |
Industry | Media and publishing house |
Founded | June 2013 |
Headquarters | , |
Area served | Pakistan |
Key people |
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Parent | AsiaPak Investments |
Website | bolnetwork |
BOL Network (Urdu : بول نیٹ ورک) is a Pakistani TV network based in Karachi. [1] [2] [3] The company's head office is located in Karachi and called Bolistan, [4] and it has regional headquarters in Lahore, Peshawar and Islamabad. [4]
It was founded by Shoaib Ahmed Shaikh. In September 2023, Bol Network was acquired by AsiaPak Investments, a private investment firm, for an undisclosed sum, and Sameer Chishty was appointed as the new chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Bol Network. [5] [6]
The BOL Network was started by Pakistani businessman Shoaib Ahmed Sheikh in June 2013, and according to him, it was meant to create an independent media house to portray a soft image of Pakistan and several notable journalists joined the network at that time. [7] After a number of delays, the network was launched on 1 December 2016. [8]
It claims to have offered insurance of up to Rs. 10 million to cable operators. [9] In 2014, BOL Network advertised on more than 20,000 public transport vehicles in Pakistan. [10] The company also announced a television set brand by the name of BG. [11]
In August 2015, ARY Digital HD Network Group announced that they would take over the business and incorporate into their network, [12] but these plans eventually failed. [13] [14]
In 2017, Bol was accused of defaming politician Ishaq Dar. [15]
In September 2022, PEMRA again revoked the network's license due to the channel failing to acquire security clearance. [16] [17]
In September 2023, AsiaPak Investments acquired Bol Network. Sameer Chishty was named the new Chief executive officer. [18]
When the offices of Axact were raided by the authorities, Bol Network provided digital satellite news gathering vehicles to block journalists from accessing to the building. [19] In the course of the investigation, Bol was accused of using illegally imported equipment. [20]
Many journalists and other senior staff, including the editor-in-chief Kamran Khan, [21] resigned in the course of the scandal. [22] [23] [24] [25] [26]