Dialog TV

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Dialog TV

Type	Subsidiary
Founded	2005
Headquarters	Colombo, Sri Lanka
Industry	Telecommunication
Products	Direct broadcast satellite
Parent	Dialog Telekom
Website	http://www.dialog.lk/en/tv

Dialog TV is a Direct broadcast satellite pay television provider based in Sri Lanka. This company, which is a fully owned subsidary of Dialog Telekom, was launched in July 2005 under the name "CBNsat". Its name was changed to Dialog TV in February 2007 after the company was acquired by Dialog Telekom. Dialog TV is currently the largest satellite TV provider in Sri Lanka with a subscriber base of over 20,000.^[1] Dialog TV is also the licensed cable television broadcaster of the ICC World Cup 2007 on the SET Max channel in Sri Lanka.

1 Services
2 Channels
- 2.1 Television
- 2.2 Radio
3 Infrastructure
4 Competition and Coverage
5 Development and Expanditure
6 Closure of Dialog TV (then CBNsat) and halt of services for 6 months
7 Current status
8 Related links
9 References

[edit] Services

Dialog TV currently provides 29 international TV channels and 6 local TV channels, plus 5 local radio channels. Channels are provided within 3 packages, having 17 channels, 26 channels and 29 channels respectively. The first package costs LKR 500+VAT, the second package costs LKR 900+VAT, and the third package costs LKR 1400+VAT.

Dialog TV provides a 24 hour hotline service for customers - 4606060.

Dialog TV also provides an on-line billing service (known as "MyCBNsat" before being acquired by Dialog Telekom). It allows customers to pay bills on-line, view bills and customize the channels they want to watch. The service requires a simple quick registration.

[edit] Channels

[edit] Television

CH01 SET
CH02 BBC
CH03 CNN
CH04 HBO
CH05 HBO Signature
CH06 Cinemax
CH07 AXN
CH08 ESPN
CH09 [[Star Sports]
CH10 Discovery
CH11 Animal Planet
CH12 Discovery Travel and Living
CH13 National Geographic Channel
CH14 The History Channel
CH15 Adventure 1
CH16 Zone Reality
CH17 Pogo
CH18 Nickelodeon
CH19 Animax
CH20 Cartoon Network
CH21 Rupavahini (Local)
CH22 Channel Eye (Local)
CH23 MTV
CH24 SET MAX
CH25 SET SAB
CH26 ITN (Local)
CH27 Zee TV
CH28 Zee Studio
CH29 Zee Cafe
CH30 Zee Sports
CH31 Zee Cinema
CH32 Zee Trendz
CH33 Zee Muzic
CH34 TNL (Local)
CH35 Derana (Local)
CH36 Swarnavahini (Local)

[edit] Radio

Sha FM, Sooriyan FM, Gold FM, Sun FM, Hiru FM

CH01 Sha FM
CH02 Sooriyan FM
CH03 Gold FM
CH04 Sun FM
CH05 Hiru FM
CH06 TNL Radio
CH07 Lite 89.2
CH08 Asura FM
CH09 Isira FM

[edit] Infrastructure

Dialog TV broadcasts using the DVB-S System through the IS12 Satellite positioned at 45° East. KuBand Signals are received using a 60" diameter Aluminum Mini-Dish and a Sharp LNB. The LNB is connected to a COSHIP CDVB5110D SetTop Box. Irdeto 2 technology is used to unlock the encrypted signal. The SetTop Box is also programmed to block Free-to-Air satellite channels. Software updates are downloaded through the satellite network.

[edit] Competition and Coverage

Dialog TV now has the highest number of cable TV customers in Sri Lanka. Its main competition is currently Lanka Broadband Networks (LBN), providing cable based television services both in analog and DVB-C digital in a few areas of Colombo.

Comet Cable opeated by Multivision (Pvt) Ltd is an analog MMDS network with limited coverage in and around Colombo. Their service is declining and subscribers are already switching from Comet to DialogTV or LBN. Competition may also come soon from SLT IPTV, planned to launch at the end of this year.

Dialog TV has coverage over the entire of Sri Lanka and up to Nepal and neighboring countries. The service may be purchased in Sri Lanka from any island-wide Singer Corporation showrooms.

[edit] Development and Expanditure

Dialog TV expresses its hopes to soon expand their digital network to other neighboring countries. It is said that there are already CBNsat customers in Maldives.

A 3rd transponder is expected to be launched by June 2007. Dialog is claims a total of 50 channels by the end of the year 2007.^[2]

Dialog TV signed an agreement with ESPN and Star Sports on 7 March 2006, and launched the channels on 24 March 2006. The Zee package (Zee TV, Zee Cafe, Zee Cinema, Zee Trendz, Zee Sports, Zee Muzic, Zee Studio) was launched in January.

Dialog TV is promising to launch Disney Channel, Toon Disney, the Star TV package and SET Max together with the new transponder. Ten Sports, Neo Sports, Neo Sports + and the Sun TV package may also appear on the service. HBO HiTS and HBO Family are also expected this year.

[edit] Closure of Dialog TV (then CBNsat) and halt of services for 6 months

On June 6th 2006, the Sri Lanka Police's Criminal Investigation Department raided the CBNsat broadcast premises and ordered to shut down the service. CBNsat was accused of not possessing the correct DTH broadcasting license and broadcasting the NTT channel (of the LTTE) on their service. CBNsat was also blamed for broadcasting possibly illegal content on Fashion TV.

The Media Ministry took over the case when the CID dropped their charges in late 2006. It was not possible to show evidence of CBNsat broadcasting the NTT channel as it blocked Free To Air channels form the customer decoders and NTT was a Free To Air channel.

The Media Ministry could not prove any of the allegations and was finally forced to provide the necessary license to CBNsat. Meanwhile, CBNsat was financially crippled and was acquired by Dialog Telekom in December 2006. The service was finally relaunched in February 2007.

[edit] Current status

Dialog TV is now relaunched together with most of their original package. zOOm, Raj TV package and the Goal TV package have been dropped from the lineup due to low viewership. The Zee package (consisting of 7 channels) was added to lineup to replace those channels, and also as a thanking for many loyal customers.