Tribune 24/7 ceases operations

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 7 January 2019 |  JP Staff Report

Tribune 24/7 has shut down operations, impacting over 100 employees. This closure raises concerns over the future of English-language journalism in Pakistan.

Summary

ISLAMABAD — Tribune 24/7, the English-language television channel run by the Express Media Group, has ceased operations, leaving more than 100 employees jobless.

The channel, which was still in its test phase, was launched in July 2018 with the promise of connecting Pakistan to the global stage. Its management had pledged to “take Pakistan to the world and bring the world to Pakistan with conviction and clarity of purpose.”

This marks the second time the group has shuttered an English-language news venture. Its earlier attempt, Express 24/7, was closed in November 2011 after a three-year run, despite being Pakistan’s only 24-hour English-language news channel at the time.

Express Media Group, one of the country’s largest media houses, also operates Express-News (Urdu), Express Entertainment, and publishes Daily Express and The Express Tribune. However, the group has frequently resorted to large-scale layoffs across its platforms, citing financial pressures in Pakistan’s struggling media industry.

The closure of Tribune 24/7 raises concerns about the future of English-language journalism on television in Pakistan, especially at a time when media houses face declining revenues, mounting costs, and growing political and regulatory pressures.