MTV channel Sri Lanka

MTV Channel (Pvt) Limited is the premier private television network in Sri Lanka. Equipped with state-of-the-art audio-visual receiving and transmitting equipment, MTV's signals are beamed, free-to-air across Sri Lanka. The Station reaches about 80% of the country with a coverage of 85% of the TV sets in Sri Lanka.

MTV Channel telecasts in the three main languages in Sri Lanka with separate channels for each of them. These are as follows:

MTV - EnglishSirasa TV - SinhalaShakthi TV - Tamil

Programme content of its various channels is wide-spectrum and innovative, covering everything from news to educational programmes, family entertainment, music, sports, soaps, game shows, etc.

The Channels

Channel One MTV is the English language channel. It broadcasts, entertainment, news and current affairs.

Shakthi TV is the Tamil language channel which is the market leader is the exclusive prime time Tamil language TV Channel in Sri lanka. It is the only private TV channel available to viewers in the jaffna Peninsula and most parts of the North Eastern Province of Sri Lanka. Its programme content includes: Entertainment, Sports, Current Affairs, Childrens Programs and News.

Sirasa Tv is the Sinhala language channel. It has the highest gross rating points of any channel in Sri Lanka. It's programme content comprises entertainment, news and current affairs.

Hit TV is a channel that resides within Sirasa TV. This channel specialises in telecasting Hindi films.

NewsFirstonline - We report. You decide.

This is the most watched and listened to news programme from an independent broadcaster. To feed it, MTV employs over 400 stringers across the country. Broadcasting from 5.55 am to midnight everyday, it delivers three main news bulletins and 20 sub bulletins throughout the day on television and 54 bulletins on radio, in three languages. First and fastest with current happenings, the news operation has its own newsroom and multi camera news studio. [http://www.newsfirstonline.com/ Official Website]

Ethalaya.com

An exclusively Sinhala language website set to refine the standards of web based communication.

Launched on 10 October 2007 by the MTV Channel (Pvt) Ltd, this latest venture in online information dissemination, aims to usher in the advantages of the new media to the Sinhala readership.

[http://www.ethalaya.com/ Official Website]

History

MTV Channel (Pvt) Ltd was set up by The Maharaja Organisation in 1992 as a joint venture project with Singapore Telecom. The Station was established to spearhead the Groups entry into the media and communication sector. A part of its strategy of focusing on core sectors of industry. The Station went on air in September 1992.

In its initial stages, MTV telecast primarily news and English language programmes. In June 1998, Sirasa TV, the Sinhala language channel commenced telecasts and was soon followed by Shakthi TV, the Tamil channel, in November of the same year.

In 1998, Singapore Telecom divested its shares, which were acquired by Gregson Holdings Ltd. Since then, another multi-national company - International Media Management - has also invested in MTV.

Telecasting Facilities

MTV Channel's main studio facilities are located at Depanama, about a 25 minute drive from the city of Colombo. Modern office and studios building are built on an acre of land. The facilities, which house up-to-date equipment in television production such as three multi-camera studios, one large MCR, a mini MCR and a news-room, also house the facilities for MBC, the Group's FM broadcasting company.

MTV also has a standard B type TVRO system from NEC Japan, with a 13m diameter solid parabolic dish. In addition, there are 10m, 3m and 2m dish satellite receiving systems aimed at various satellites. MTV has the capability of receiving any channel from any of the IOR satellites. Programmes are beamed to MTV's station in Colombo from where they are relayed to its six repeating stations around the Island.

MTV owns a 12 camera facility OB vehicle for its outdoor broadcasts as well as four microwave OB links.

Eight edit suites with non-linear editing facilities are complemented by two modern graphic suites with the latest software.

Complete back-up services are provided by MTV's in-house Broadcast Engineering Services Department, staffed with some of the best trained engineers in this country.

Finally, in addition to the engineering facilities at Depanama, MTV has an extensive large library with over 30,000 tapes of in-house productions. This valuable collection is a one-of-its-kind.

Marketing

For its audience, MTV offers three language-based channels. MTV for English, Sirasa for Sinhala and Shakthi for Tamil. This gives advertisers the opportunity to focus their messages to specific target audiences. A focus further refined by extremely popular programmes and innovative schedules on the one hand and clearly defined audiences on the other.

In addition, MTV offers advertisers the advantage of "Integrated' packages, innovative scheduling and cross-channel tie-ups.

References