Bangladesh’s television audience first experienced large-scale dubbing a decade ago with the Turkish series “Sultan Suleiman,” aired on Deepto TV. The show’s success, driven by high-quality Bangla dubbing, opened a new chapter for foreign series localization. Following this, several private TV channels and OTT platforms began producing dubbed content, creating a new professional field for voice-over artists.

Although dubbing existed earlier through BTV and Kolkata-based studios, Deepto TV’s 2015 initiative marked the first major domestic effort to build local dubbing teams and studios. Voice director Lata Majumdar and actor Deepak Suman described the early challenges of forming a 15-member team without prior infrastructure. Today, around 15 studios operate nationwide, with artists working in categories earning between 2,000 and 5,000 taka per shift, and experienced freelancers earning up to 600 taka per minute.

Industry figures note growing challenges, including declining quality and complex government regulations requiring censorship and time restrictions for foreign content. Without improvements, experts fear the sector could again depend on imported dubbing services.