Digital media
Every Pakistani newspaper of note now has both a digital and a print version. All TV news channels also maintain websites, which usually contain news in text and video coverage from the transmission of their main platforms. This has come about in conjunction with rapid growth in Internet access in the country. The number of broadband subscribers in the country grew from 5.1 million in 2013-14 to 44.5 million in 2016-2017. Pakistanis use well known search engines or websites of popular media platforms to access content.
The websites of most Urdu-language news channels often contain news in English text only. Some online news portals use resources of news media platforms and others are independent news portals which only have a digital existence.
The newspaper and TV channel’s digital versions do not earn any direct revenue from visitors to their websites as there are no subscription requirements or pay walls. Whatever revenue they derive is solely from the sale of advertising spaces.
However, many media organisations in the country are yet to work out a way to make money from their websites. News media organisations have not shared statistics to indicate the extent of their digital circulation.