
Geo TV (trademarked GEO TV) or Geo Television is a Pakistani television network, founded by Mir Shakil ur Rehman in May 2002 and owned by Independent Media Corporation. The channel began test transmission on 14 August 2002, with regular transmission beginning 1 October 2002. Geo is an Urdu word meaning live on. Geo TV is lauded in the West, and many Western media outlets have asked Geo TV for exclusive footage sharing. Since its launch, Geo TV has put freedom of speech and freedom of expression in Pakistan to unprecedented levels in Pakistani history, resulting in numerous conflicts with the Pakistani government. Most other Pakistani media outlets view Geo TV as a model to follow, and Pakistan's media is now considered to be the most free in the Muslim world.