ARY Digital

{{Infobox television channel

| name = ARY Digital HD
{{Nastaliq|{{lang|ur|ARY ڈیجیٹل HD}}}}

| logo = Ary Digital Logo.png

| logo_size = 150px

| logo_caption = ARY Digital logo since May 2009

| launch_date = {{Start date and age|2000|09|16}}

| former_names = The Pakistani Channel

| picture_format = (1080i, 16:9 MPEG-4 HDTV)

| owner = Salman Iqbal

| headquarters = Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan

| area = {{ubl|Pakistan|Middle East|North America|Europe|}}

| network = ARY Digital Network

| country = Pakistan

| language = English
Urdu

| sister_channels = ARY Digital UK
ARY News
A Sports
ARY Musik
ARY Qtv
ARY Zindagi
ARY Nick
ARY Zauq
ATN Urdu

| website = [https://arydigital.tv/ arydigital]

| terr_serv_1 = Zuku TV (Kenya)

| terr_chan_1 = Channel 939

| online_serv_1 = ARY Digital Live

| online_chan_1 = [https://live.arydigital.tv/ Watch Live]

}}

ARY Digital HD ({{langx|ur|{{Nastaliq|ARY ڈیجیٹل}}}}) is a Pakistani television network available in Pakistan. ARY Digital was founded by a Dubai-based holding company Pakistani businessman, Abdul Razzak Yaqoob and Salman Iqbal (ARY). The network is focused towards on Pakistani entertainment dramas, sitcoms, talk shows, web series and culture.

The channel broadcasts on cable and satellite networks, linear television as well as streaming platforms including YouTube Channel and ARY ZAP.

History

ARY Digital, formerly known as The Pakistani Channel, was launched in the United Kingdom on 16th September 2000 to cater to the Pakistani community living in the region.{{Citation needed|date=November 2015}} It uses Samacom, an uplink provider based in the UAE, as the uplink teleport station.{{cite web|url=http://www.samacom.com/teleport.htm|title=Teleport|publisher=Samacom|access-date=2008-05-11| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080506164425/http://www.samacom.com/teleport.htm| archive-date= 6 May 2008 | url-status= live}} The channel started off with a format similar to PTV Prime and other South Asian channels where it provided slots for soap operas in general while presenting an hourly slot for news headlines. Although flaming political talk shows and dramas were the main priority when it came to programming, the network soon was hailed for its news coverage.{{cite web|url=http://www.pakaffairs.com/?p=5|title=Case Study: Pakistan and its Media|publisher=PakAffairs.com|access-date=2008-05-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080403182838/http://www.pakaffairs.com/?p=5|archive-date=3 April 2008|url-status=dead}}

The network acquired a license to start broadcasting in Pakistan.{{cite web|url=http://www.arydigitaleurope.tv/ary_group_profile.pdf|title=ARY Group Profile|publisher=ARY Digital Europe|access-date=2008-05-11 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080528142043/http://www.arydigitaleurope.tv/ary_group_profile.pdf |archive-date = 2008-05-28}}

In 2002, the ARY Star Gold Quiz Show became the first live show to offer a prize of one kilogram of gold. For the period of its broadcast, participants won over 260 kilograms of gold.

File:ARY Digital Logo 1.PNG

Specialized programming

By 2003, ARY Digital had started up three sister ventures apart from the flagship channel ARY Digital, channels targeting generalized programming. They include ARY News, a news channel; ARY Musik, a youth-oriented music channel, and ARY Qtv, an Islamic network.

{{cite web|url=http://dramaaz.com/ary-digital/|title=ARY Digital Archives|publisher=ARY Digital|access-date=8 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151225093926/http://dramaaz.com/ary-digital/|archive-date=25 December 2015|url-status=usurped|df=dmy-all}}

Programming

Criticism

In 2003, ARY Digital was criticised upon its airing of a prisoner's derogatory comments against the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC-3) and a video showing balded young girls behind bars begging for mercy. The contempt of court proceedings against the officials of the network were withdrawn after the judge accepted unconditional apologies.{{cite web|url=http://www.dawn.com/2003/09/12/local18.htm|title=KARACHI: Contempt proceedings withdrawn against ARY|publisher=DAWN Newspaper|access-date=2008-05-12}}