Television in Sri Lanka dates back to 1979. Television broadcasting, like other forms of media in the country, is generally divided along linguistic lines with state and private media operators providing services in Sinhala, Tamil, and English languages.

History

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Preliminary work was underway in the first half of the 1970s.[1]

Businessmen Anil Wijewardena and Shan Wickremasinghe established the country's first TV station Independent Television Network which started broadcasting on 15 April 1979.[2] The new station remained independent for less than two months as the government took control of it on 5 June 1979 following a dispute with President J. R. Jayewardene.[2] Sri Lanka's second state-owned TV station - Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC) - was established by the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation Act No. 6 of 1982.[3] SLRC started broadcasting on 15 February 1982.[2] The Act required the SLRC maintain taste and decency and not to incite crime and disorder or cause religious or public offence.

The government maintained a monopoly on television broadcasting until 1992 when private TV stations were allowed to broadcast but they were to be regulated by the SLRC.[2] Maharaja Television (MTV), a joint venture between Capital Maharaja and Singapore Telecommunications Limited, was one of the first private TV stations. Since then many new TV stations have started in Sri Lanka. There are also a number of satellite networks and pay per view television networks in Sri Lanka. The national telecommunications provider Sri Lanka Telecom also launched an IPTV service in 2008.

Since then, during the last two decades, multiple broadcasting networks have entered the public frequencies. A privately owned company, Swarnawahini came into action in 1997 and still functions under the same brand name. In 2005 another major television channel came into action under the name Derana which now has multiple broadcasting platforms including radio, printed media, and a fully dedicated news channel called adaderana24X7.

Since 2020, where the Pandemic starting taking over the country's Education system, Television has been more and more in use for distance education.

A table has been created for the children to find channels where they can study freely in Sri Lanka if they cannot go to schools

Television providers

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Current

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The following is a list of current television providers based in Sri Lanka.

Provider Ownership Owner Transmission Established
Ask Cable Vision[a] Private Ask Media & Cable Vision 2010
City Cable[b] Private City Cable Links
Dialog TV[c] Private Dialog Axiata July 2005
Star TV Lanka Satnet Private Star TV Lanka Digital satellite 1945
Lanka Broadband Networks[d] Private Lanka Broadband Networks Analog cable, digital cable 2000
PEO TV State-owned[e] SLTMobitel IPTV September 2008
Satcom[f] Private Future Sat Com Holdings Satellite
TV Lanka Private Digital terrestrial 2012

Former

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The following is a list of former television providers which were based in Sri Lanka.

Provider Ownership Owner Transmission Established Closed
Multivision[g] Private Ruhunu 2001 Multivision Analog microwave 1999 2008
Franknet[h] Private T.Guhan Cable TV 1995 1998

Television stations

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Current

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The following is a list of current television stations based in Sri Lanka.

Station Ownership Owner Language Established Terrestrial Satellite Cable IPTV
Streaming
Analogue
[i]
Digital Dialog
TV

[4][5]
Dish
TV

[6]
Free sat LBN
[7]
PEO
TV

[8]
Haritha TV Non-profit Haritha Network Sinhala 31 March 2021     14     9  
A Plus Kids TV Private Ru Sala Media Networks Pvt Ltd Sinhala 3 July 2017     48        
Ada Derana 24[j] Private Derana Macro Entertainment under Dilith Jayaweera Sinhala/English 20 July 2014     14 2508   14  
ART Television[k] Private IWS Holdings English 1996     13     017  
Channel C Private Wide Angle Productions Sinhala 10 March 2008     45        
Channel Eye[l] State-owned Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation English April 1999   03 2572   002  
Channel One Private Dialog TV Sinhala / English 6 June 2019     1        
Citi Hitz Private OnAir World Ceylon Sinhala 10 December 2007     019        
Colombo TV Private Colombo Television Limited Sinhala 1 January 2015           111  
Dharmavahini TV Private Dharmavahini Foundation Sinhala 20 May 2007              
Dream TV[m] Private GalleZone Solutions Sinhala 2010       2511   015  
ETV[n] Private Lyca Productions English 1995           119  
Heritage TV[o] Private Heritage Television Sinhala 8 May 2009              
Hiru TV Private Asia Broadcasting Corporation Sinhala 23 May 2012     11 2507   019  
ITN Channel State-owned Independent Television Network Sinhala 13 April 1979     04 2517   003  
Knowledge TV Private Pix & Words Sinhala 2010           018  
Nethra TV State-owned Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation Tamil 1 January 2008           016  
Rangiri TV Non-profit Rangiri Sri Lanka Media Network Sinhala July 2011     21 2532   022  
Raw TV Private Raw Television Sinhala 26 October 2015              
Ridee TV Private Tiss Nagodavithana Films Sinhala 2012     18        
Rupavahini State-owned Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation Sinhala 15 February 1982     002 2506   001  
Jaya TV Sri Lanka Private Jayamaga Media Network Sinhala 04 February 2020 25   94
Supreme TV Private Supreme Global Holdings Sinhala 19 December 2019     20     16  
Sarana TV Non-profit Sarana Media Network Sinhala 2014           094  
Shakthi TV Private MTV Channel Tamil 20 October 1998     09 2609   011  
Shraddha TV Non-profit Mahamevnawa Buddhist Monastery Sinhala 29 September 2012     27 2531 27   099  
Sindu TV Private Iraj Productions English/Sinhala 2015              
Sirasa TV[p] Private MTV Channel Sinhala 10 June 1998     08 2513   010  
Siyatha TV Private Voice of Asia Network Sinhala 17 September 2009     15 2512   008(SD)
300(HD)
 
Siyasa TV Private Siyasa Media Network Sinhala 28 January 2014           095  
Sri TV Private Sri TV Sinhala 2006              
Star Tamil [q] Private Voice of Asia Network Tamil 17 September 2009       2618   021  
Swarga TV Non-profit Rock Foundation English/Sinhala/Tamil 2011     30        
Swarnavahini[r] Private Lyca Productions Sinhala 1997     07 2516   006  
The Buddhist[s] Non-profit Sri Sambodhi Foundation Sinhala 29 June 2007     026 2592   096  
TNL TV Private Telshan Networks English/Sinhala 21 June 1993     12 2526   013  
TV 1[t] Private MTV Channel English/Sinhala 14 December 1992     10 2553   012  
TV Derana Private Derana Macro Entertainment under Dilith Jayaweera Sinhala 11 October 2005     06 2514   004  
TV Didula Non-profit Sanhinda Media Network Sinhala 20 February 2016     17 2509   117  
UTV Tamil[u] Private SATIS Agency (Pvt) Ltd Tamil 23 March 2017     23     127  
Vasantham TV State-owned Independent Television Network Tamil 25 June 2009     005 2614   007  
Verbum TV Non-profit Verbum Television English/Sinhala/Tamil 2014     031     093  
CeyFLiX Private Ausflix PTY LTD Sinhala/English/Tamil/Hindi 2019              
Lankan Link Private CodeNinja PTY LTD Sinhala/English/Tamil 2015              

Former

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The following is a list of former television stations which were based in Sri Lanka.

Station Ownership Owner Language Established Closed Notes
Carlton Sports Network Private Carlton Sports Network English/Sinhala 7 March 2011 2016 License suspended[9]
DAN Tamil Oli Private Ask Media and Cable Vision Network Tamil January 2009 2013 Now shown only on cable and satellite.
NTV State-owned Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation English 18 November 2009 2015
Prime TV State-owned Independent Television Network English 12 November 2009 2010
TV 2 Private Peoples Media Network English 1 November 2008 2009
You TV[v] Private MGM Networks English/Sinhala/Tamil 17 January 2007

Notes

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  1. ^ Available in Jaffna peninsula only.
  2. ^ Available in Colombo only.
  3. ^ Formerly CBNsat.
  4. ^ Available in Colombo and Jaffna only.
  5. ^ The Government of Sri Lanka owns the majority of shares in Sri Lanka Telecom, the ultimate parent company of PEO TV, either directly or via organisations controlled by it (e.g. Bank of Ceylon, Employees' Provident Fund, National Savings Bank and Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation).
  6. ^ Formerly Srilakvahini.
  7. ^ Formerly Comet Cable.
  8. ^ Formerly Hatton Cable, Special in up country and wellawatte area.channels of Sun TV Network, Doordarshan from S-C Band Satellite.
  9. ^ Channels 21-69 on UHF, channels 2-12 on VHF.
  10. ^ Formerly Ada Derana 24X7.
  11. ^ Formerly Dynavision.
  12. ^ Formerly Rupavahini 2 Sinhalese and Tamil and English Television Channel.
  13. ^ Also known as TV Dream Music.
  14. ^ Formerly ETV 2.
  15. ^ Also known as HTV.
  16. ^ Formerly MTV (Sri Lankan Sinhala And English, Tamil TV channel)
  17. ^ Formerly Varnam tv Vettri TV.
  18. ^ Formerly ETV, ETV 1 Sinhalese And Tamil,English Entertainment Television
  19. ^ Also known as Buddhist TV.
  20. ^ Formerly MTV Newsvision, MTV, Channel One MTV, MTV Sports, MTV.
  21. ^ Formerly Udhayam TV.
  22. ^ Formerly Max TV.

References

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  1. ^ "World Communications" (PDF). UNESCO. 1975. p. 342. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 May 2024. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d Indrajit Banerjee, Stephen Logan, ed. (2008). Asian Communication Handbook 2008. Singapore: Asian Media Information and Communication Centre, Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Nanyang Technological University. pp. 446–459. ISBN 9789814136105.
  3. ^ "SRI LANKA RUPAVAHINI CORPORATION". LawNet.
  4. ^ "Channels". Dialog TV. Archived from the original on 2016-03-29. Retrieved 2016-01-31.
  5. ^ "List of Channels on Dialog TV". TV Channels List. Archived from the original on 2016-01-11. Retrieved 2016-01-31.
  6. ^ "Packs: Ntertainment". Dish TV (Sri Lanka). Archived from the original on 2016-02-02. Retrieved 2016-01-31.
  7. ^ "LBN Packages". Lanka Broadband Networks. Archived from the original on 2017-03-13. Retrieved 2017-03-13.
  8. ^ "Channel Lineup". PEO TV. Archived from the original on 2016-04-07. Retrieved 2016-01-31.
  9. ^ "Media Ministry suspends CSN license". Archived from the original on 2017-03-13. Retrieved 2017-03-13.
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