Myanmar International

Myanmar International
Type Broadcast radio network
and television network
Country Myanmar
Broadcast area
 International
Owner Ministry of Information
Parent MRTV
Launch date
 1 August 2001
Former callsigns
 MRTV-3

Myanmar International Television is a Burmese state-owned national and international English-language television channel based in Yangon, Myanmar. The channel was first launched in August 2001 as MRTV-3, the third ever television channel in Myanmar.[1] It was rebranded as Myanmar International Television in April 2010.[2]

Overview

The channel was first launched on 1 August 2001[3] was financed with a $1 million grant from Japan and is broadcast on the Shin Corp Thaicom 3 satellite.[4] It is the third channel to be launched in Myanmar, after the main MRTV channel (1980) and Myawaddy TV (1995).[1] The state-owned channel was viewable in 156 countries, broadcasting 17 hours a day in Myanmar and 8 hours a day in Europe and America,[3] with coverage increasing to 24 hours a day worldwide on the occasion of the rebranding to Myanmar International.[5]

The service is one of several television channels freely available in Myanmar.[6]

According to Ye Tun, assistant manager of Myanmar International, the purposes of the channel are threefold: "to inform, to educate and to entertain the public and broadcast healthy programs".[6] However, the channel has been criticised for broadcasting propaganda for the junta.[7][8] A government official said the channel was launched to provide an "objective response" to international media reports about Burma.[9]

A web-based video streaming system was launched in November 2002, and an online newspaper in March 2003. The channel has news exchange agreements with CCTV, NHK, Airang TV and CFI.[3]

Programming

News programmes regularly feature army and political leaders, while entertainment programmes feature ethnic groups singing songs of national unity.[4] Myanmar Mosaic features cookery, cultural and tourism programmes about Burma.

During the 2007 Burmese anti-government protests, the channel criticised Western media outlets for "fabricating stories" about the incident, describing them as "not happy with peace, stability and development of the [Burmese] nation." A news programme broadcast slides reading "VOA and BBC, sky full of liars. Beware of destructionists, BBC and VOA."[10][11] The channel reported on the protests after several days.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Junta Launches New PR Offensive". The Irrawaddy. 2001-08-01.
  2. ↑ Ko Htwe (2010-04-02). "Junta Launches International TV Station". The Irrawaddy.
  3. 1 2 3 Kyaw Kyaw Htun and Win Lwin. "Myanmar Country Report" (PDF). ASEAN Mass Communication Studies and Research Center. Retrieved 2008-12-24.
  4. 1 2 Lewis, G. Virtual Thailand: The Media and Cultural Politics in Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. Taylor & Francis, 2006. ISBN 978-0-415-36499-7.
  5. ↑ "Junta Launches International TV Station". Baganland. 2010-04-02.
  6. 1 2 May Thaw (12–18 March 2007). "Broadcasting options expanding". Myanmar Times.
  7. ↑ Myanmar learns to live with the lights out, IOL, April 10, 2007.
  8. ↑ Burma update, The Atlantic.com, September 27, 2007.
  9. ↑ World to see the real Myanmar on global TV, The Myanmar Times, December 25, 2000
  10. ↑ Burmese TV Blames Protests on Western Broadcasters, VOA, 27 September 2007.
  11. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUCQU0tgoYA
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