Pakistan
Media Influence Matrix Country Profile
Pakistan’s media landscape is one of the most dynamic yet politically constrained in South Asia. The country hosts a large commercial broadcast industry, a vibrant print tradition, and an expanding digital news ecosystem. Yet this diversity coexists with deep structural pressures: shifting political control, regulatory opacity, powerful security institutions, precarious funding models, and widespread content manipulation across platforms.
The legacy Media Influence Matrix Technology report (Pakistan) captured the early stages of digital expansion and platform dependency. Since then, the information environment has become more polarized, more digitally fragmented, and increasingly shaped by the interplay between political actors, the military establishment, media conglomerates, and global platforms.
Regulation and Policy Influence
Pakistan’s regulatory system is complex, politically charged, and characterized by overlapping authorities whose mandates frequently intersect with political power. The formal regulatory body for electronic media is the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), which oversees licensing, broadcast content, suspensions, fines, and channel closures. In practice, PEMRA operates in a highly politicized environment; its decisions often reflect broader political dynamics or pressures from state institutions.
Print media operates under a looser regulatory structure, relying on the Press Council of Pakistan and associated professional codes. While Pakistan’s constitution contains protections for freedom of expression, implementation remains inconsistent, and legislative instruments, such as cybercrime laws, defamation statutes, and national security provisions, are routinely used to pressure journalists and outlets.
A defining structural feature of Pakistan’s media environment is the role of the military establishment in shaping news coverage, influencing regulatory outcomes, and steering national narratives. While these mechanisms are often informal, their impact is significant and has been documented consistently by domestic and international observers. Content relating to civil–military relations, national security, and political dissent is especially subject to censorship or editorial pressure.
Digital regulation has expanded rapidly. The Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) and subsequent amendments to rules governing online platforms have introduced new avenues for content takedown, blocking, and surveillance. Critics argue that these tools can be used to silence critics, restrict activism, and deter investigative reporting. As social media becomes central to political communication, state institutions have increased efforts to monitor and control online narratives.
Overall, Pakistan’s regulatory environment combines formal structures, discretionary enforcement, political pressure, and security-driven oversight, producing an information landscape where editorial autonomy is inconsistent and frequently contested.
See Pakistan in State Media Monitor.
Provenance and Funding
Pakistan’s media economy is dominated by large, vertically integrated broadcast groups that hold significant influence across television, print, and digital platforms. Major conglomerates, such as Jang Group (Geo TV), ARY Digital Network, Dawn Media Group, and BOL Network, play a central role in shaping news narratives and public debate. Their ownership structures intersect with political alliances, business interests, and regulatory relationships, contributing to an environment where economic and political dependencies influence editorial direction.
Television is the dominant medium, capturing the largest share of advertising revenue. However, the market is highly volatile. Advertising spending fluctuates with political and economic conditions, and regulatory actions, such as suspensions or channel closures, have direct financial consequences. This volatility creates incentives for outlets to align with powerful political actors or avoid content that could trigger sanctions, ultimately reinforcing patterns of self-censorship.
Print media continues to hold symbolic and historical importance but faces steep financial decline. Declining circulation, shrinking advertising budgets, and competition from digital media have forced many newspapers to downsize or transition to hybrid formats. Elite outlets remain influential, but their economic fragility limits long-term sustainability.
Digital-native outlets and investigative platforms have grown in prominence, especially on social media, but face significant challenges. Monetization options are limited, advertising revenue is captured primarily by global platforms, and political pressure is often exerted more aggressively online. Many independent news organizations rely on grants, international donor funding, memberships, or philanthropic support to remain operational.
State advertising constitutes an important revenue stream and is often used selectively to reward supportive outlets or marginalize critics. Changes in political leadership typically result in rapid redistribution of government communication budgets, creating instability and reinforcing political patronage networks within the media system.
Overall, Pakistan’s funding and ownership patterns reveal a media economy shaped by concentrated conglomerate power, political patronage, market volatility, and increasing platform dependency, leaving independent journalism highly vulnerable.
Technology, Platforms and the Information Environment
The legacy MIM technology report showed that Pakistan was entering a new phase of digital transformation marked by rapid mobile adoption and growing dependence on social platforms. These trends have accelerated significantly, making Pakistan one of the most vibrant yet contested digital spaces in the region.
Social media platforms, especially Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Twitter/X, Instagram, and WhatsApp, are now central to political communication, civic engagement, entertainment, and news distribution. These platforms have become the primary channels through which younger audiences consume information, while television maintains dominance among older demographics.
The digital public sphere is deeply polarized. Online harassment, coordinated influence campaigns, disinformation networks, and partisan activism shape public discourse. Political parties, state institutions, and non-state actors all engage in narrative warfare, often using large-scale digital operations to influence opinion, attack opponents, or mobilize supporters.
The telecommunications sector is robust and competitive, dominated by operators such as Jazz, Telenor Pakistan, Zong, and Ufone, offering extensive mobile broadband coverage. Pakistan’s predominantly mobile-first internet environment drives high engagement with video and short-form content, reinforcing the centrality of platforms in public communication.
AI adoption in newsrooms is in its early stages. Large broadcasters and digital publishers use automated tools for analytics, content optimization, and newsroom workflows, while smaller outlets lack resources for technological investment. Meanwhile, political actors and influence networks increasingly deploy AI-enhanced messaging, deepfake videos, and automated accounts, amplifying concerns over election integrity and information manipulation.
The digital ecosystem is therefore characterized by platform dominance, infrastructural inequalities, security-led governance, and vibrant yet volatile online participation, reflecting the unresolved tensions between democratic expression and political control.
Legacy report (Technology): https://journalismresearch.org/2019/07/media-influence-matrix-pakistan-technology-public-sphere-and-journalism/
Key Companies
- Jang Group (Geo TV) – major broadcast and print conglomerate with significant national influence.
- ARY Digital Network – powerful broadcaster shaping political and entertainment content.
- Dawn Media Group – influential print and digital publisher with a national reputation for quality journalism.
- BOL Network – large media group known for politically contentious coverage and regulatory disputes.
- Jazz, Telenor Pakistan, Zong, Ufone – telecommunications operators shaping digital access.