Afghan television is a small, fragmented market shaped by two decades of rapid expansion followed by contraction. State broadcasting has deep roots here, and its national channels still set the tone for news, religious programming and cultural affairs, but the private sector that flourished after 2001 has thinned considerably since 2021, leaving a landscape where a few dozen general and news channels carry most of the weight. Language is the defining feature. Most channels broadcast in Dari or Pashto, with some English-language output aimed at diaspora audiences. Bilingual presentation is common: a single bulletin may switch between Dari and Pashto mid-broadcast, and subtitling between the two is rare because audiences are assumed to be comfortable in both. Imported entertainment, by contrast, is almost always dubbed rather than subtitled, a habit inherited from the region's broader dubbing culture. News is the backbone of the schedule. Bulletin styles range from formal, state-aligned readings to livelier studio panel formats that dominated the private-channel boom. Religious programming occupies a fixed daily block, particularly around prayer times, and cultural shows lean on poetry, classical music and historical discussion, formats with long roots in Afghan radio that translated easily to television. Music television, once a lively sector with dedicated pop and folk channels, has narrowed sharply, and much of what remains is diaspora-facing and streamed online rather than broadcast domestically. Live sports coverage persists mainly through state channels, with domestic league football and international tournaments drawing the largest simultaneous audiences of the year. What makes Afghan TV distinctive is its resilience under constraint: fewer channels than neighbouring markets, but a schedule that still balances news, faith, culture and entertainment in three languages for viewers at home and abroad.