Televised Turbulence: The Media Arena of Pakistan

By Muhammad Ali Ozain

Intern – GDAP Summer Program 2025

Being the dominant media platform, television is watched by a large percentage of the population in Pakistan who seek to stay informed about national and international events. Between 2023-25, it is observed that politics has remained consistently the most important topic across different talk shows. Politics is followed by law as another main trending topic, and it can be observed that during May 2023, law received 100% coverage. This can be corroborated by the ongoing events in the political landscape of the country, where the May 2023 riots sparked outrage within various factions across Pakistan, leading to subsequent legal battles between the state and the PTI party members and supporters and the newly arisen question of military courts. However, similar to these episodes within the country’s trajectory, the topic was short-lived and went back to relative obscurity in favour of the most favourable talk show topic – politics.

The participation rate narrates a similar tale. During May 2023, when PTI came under fire due to the riots and their denial of any involvement or responsibility in it, law experts took to the talk show battlegrounds to explain the implications of the recent events on the political leaders of the party. However, similar to their topic, the participation trend of law experts saw only a decline thereafter, with increased rates as in the early months of 2025 as escalations between India and Pakistan unfolded. Whereas, from the political arena, PTI and PML-N representatives remain consistently active in their participation, with PTI’s participation only facing a drop after May 2023 and its subsequent months. It is notable how PPP, despite being a member of the opposition coalition, retained a starkly lower participation rate in talk shows, maintaining their low profile as they continue to do within the government mechanism, where they continue to occupy ceremonial roles such as the President’s office or representatives of the state’s international commissions.

For More Information:
https://galluppakistandigitalanalytics.com/talk-show-analysis/