Astro Awani
Encyclopedia
Astro Awani is the in-house rolling television
news and current affairs channel providing 24-hour news coverage including news in Malay
. with its slogan and motto tagline names Our Gateway to The World (Malaysian language
: Gerbang Dunia Kita), Astro Awani presents news and informative programs include current affairs, lifestyle, documentaries
, interview programs and a local and international magazine. Astro Awani started broadcasting on September 6, 2007 as part of the revamp of Astro
's news division. The station is targeted at Malaysia, Brunei
and Indonesia
. Currently, the channel has numerous bases each with their own correspondents, and can also call upon a wide range of resources and global bureaux provided by the Malaysian government such as reporters from Bernama
.
(broadcast in Arabic
with live Malaysian
translation interpretation on its dual-language button), BBC World
, CCTV-9
, Eurosport News
, the Australia Network
(later became a separate channel in December 2007) and DW-TV
. It also aired Astro News, a half-hour locally produced news program.
The five channels carried on that channel were since available separately, except when Astro News changes Al Jazeera
into Al Jazeera English in its launch in 2006, which was also later became a separate channel, and DW-TV later takes a full time slot until the Astro News channel ceased transmission on March 1, 2009. DW-TV has also been broadcast in Malaysia through NTV7
for selected programmes only on weekday afternoons in the early 2000s and later on Bernama TV
also through selected programmes since 2010. Eurosport News is still airing as programme fillers on Astro SuperSport
's channels since circa 2003.
In 2001, was launched as Bloomberg RIA News
, as well as Bloomberg Malaysia
, a joint production between Bloomberg Television
and Astro
. This had already dissolved in 2003 and Berita Astro started broadcasting on Astro Ria
since then.
Until February 2007, Astro News was co-produced with the national news agency Bernama
, with the former taking 12 minutes of the programme for general. The news is also translated into Mandarin Chinese on Astro AEC
, Malaysian
on Astro Ria
and Tamil
on Astro Vaanavil
. English
news was also aired on Astro Prima
. Between then and February 2008, Bernama took over the full half-hour production pending a revamp of the internal news team at Astro. Astro Awani was first launched on June 2006 in Indonesia
by a joint venture between Astro and India
-based NDTV
.
The launch of Astro Awani proved to be a significant milestone for NDTV and Astro, as it is the first channel launched by NDTV outside of India. It first distributed throughout Indonesia on PT Direct Vision's platform, Astro Nusantara
.
On September 6, 2007, Astro Awani was launched in Malaysia, at the Palace of Golden Horses.
Astro Awani was the only 24-hour international news channels told from a local perspective exclusively in the Malaysian language
until February 28, 2008, when Bernama TV
launched, offering three other languages other than the national language.
As of December 2010, some of Astro Awani's programmes such as Gala TV and Awani 7.45 are airing on Astro Ria
every Monday to Thursday, starting with the recorded version of Gala TV at 7:30 pm followed by the live simulcast of Awani 7.45 at 7:45 pm for 30 minutes.
satellites carrying Astro.
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
news and current affairs channel providing 24-hour news coverage including news in Malay
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
. with its slogan and motto tagline names Our Gateway to The World (Malaysian language
Malaysian language
Malaysian or Standard Malay is the official language of Malaysia and a standardized form of the Malay language of the Austronesian family. It is over 80% cognate with Indonesian and is spoken natively by over 10 million people...
: Gerbang Dunia Kita), Astro Awani presents news and informative programs include current affairs, lifestyle, documentaries
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
, interview programs and a local and international magazine. Astro Awani started broadcasting on September 6, 2007 as part of the revamp of Astro
Astro (Malaysian satellite television)
Astro is the brand name of the Malaysian direct broadcast satellite pay television service. It transmits digital satellite television and radio to households in Malaysia & Brunei...
's news division. The station is targeted at Malaysia, Brunei
Brunei
Brunei , officially the State of Brunei Darussalam or the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace , is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia...
and Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. Currently, the channel has numerous bases each with their own correspondents, and can also call upon a wide range of resources and global bureaux provided by the Malaysian government such as reporters from Bernama
BERNAMA
BERNAMA is a news agency of the government of Malaysia. It is an autonomous body placed under the Information, Culture and Communications Ministry. It was set up by an Act of Parliament in 1967 and started work on 26 May 1968....
.
History
In 2002, the channel existed as Astro News. During that time, it carried programming from Al JazeeraAl Jazeera
Al Jazeera is an independent broadcaster owned by the state of Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation and headquartered in Doha, Qatar...
(broadcast in Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
with live Malaysian
Malaysian language
Malaysian or Standard Malay is the official language of Malaysia and a standardized form of the Malay language of the Austronesian family. It is over 80% cognate with Indonesian and is spoken natively by over 10 million people...
translation interpretation on its dual-language button), BBC World
BBC World
BBC World News is the BBC's international news and current affairs television channel. It has the largest audience of any BBC channel in the world...
, CCTV-9
CCTV-9
CCTV-9 is the documentary channel of the television network, CCTV in the People's Republic of China. This channel has a local Mandarin Chinese edition called CCTV-9, and an international English language edition called CCTV-9 Documentary. The English edition is carried by more satellites than the...
, Eurosport News
Eurosport News
Eurosport News is a fourth channel of the European sports network Eurosport .-About Eurosport News:...
, the Australia Network
Australia Network
Australia Network, originally Australia Television International and later ABC Asia Pacific, is a free-to-air international satellite television service operated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation since 2006. The television and online service broadcasts 24 hours a day on 7 days a week, to...
(later became a separate channel in December 2007) and DW-TV
Deutsche Welle
Deutsche Welle or DW, is Germany's international broadcaster. The service is aimed at the overseas market. It broadcasts news and information on shortwave, Internet and satellite radio on 98.7 DZFE in 30 languages . It has a satellite television service , that is available in four languages, and...
. It also aired Astro News, a half-hour locally produced news program.
The five channels carried on that channel were since available separately, except when Astro News changes Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera is an independent broadcaster owned by the state of Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation and headquartered in Doha, Qatar...
into Al Jazeera English in its launch in 2006, which was also later became a separate channel, and DW-TV later takes a full time slot until the Astro News channel ceased transmission on March 1, 2009. DW-TV has also been broadcast in Malaysia through NTV7
Ntv7
Natseven TV Sdn Bhd or better known as ntv7 is a terrestrial television channel in Malaysia. It was launched nationwide on 7 April 1998 and was the country's third private free-to-air TV station after TV3 and Astro. Its mission is to promote a happier and more enlightened Malaysia...
for selected programmes only on weekday afternoons in the early 2000s and later on Bernama TV
Bernama TV
Bernama TV is a 24 hour international news and current affairs television network in Malaysia. It is owned by Bernama, a government news agency. The service places emphasis on decidedly right-leaning and pro-government content and views...
also through selected programmes since 2010. Eurosport News is still airing as programme fillers on Astro SuperSport
Astro SuperSport
Astro SuperSport 2 is the first sister channel of Astro SuperSport. Launched on November 18, 2009, it is broadcast on Astro via Channel 816. Sporting events that are aired on this network events include the BWF Super Series, the ATP World Tour Finals, the Bundesliga, the Ligue 1 as well as American...
's channels since circa 2003.
In 2001, was launched as Bloomberg RIA News
Bloomberg Television
Bloomberg Television is a 24-hour global network broadcasting business and financial news. It is distributed globally, reaching over 200 million homes worldwide. It is owned and operated by Bloomberg L.P...
, as well as Bloomberg Malaysia
Bloomberg Television
Bloomberg Television is a 24-hour global network broadcasting business and financial news. It is distributed globally, reaching over 200 million homes worldwide. It is owned and operated by Bloomberg L.P...
, a joint production between Bloomberg Television
Bloomberg Television
Bloomberg Television is a 24-hour global network broadcasting business and financial news. It is distributed globally, reaching over 200 million homes worldwide. It is owned and operated by Bloomberg L.P...
and Astro
Astro (Malaysian satellite television)
Astro is the brand name of the Malaysian direct broadcast satellite pay television service. It transmits digital satellite television and radio to households in Malaysia & Brunei...
. This had already dissolved in 2003 and Berita Astro started broadcasting on Astro Ria
Astro Ria
Astro Ria is a Malaysian 24 hour television network broadcast on the Astro satellite television service. It was one of the first 22 channels to commence broadcast on Astro in 1996.Programs on the network include Malay dramas, films and reality shows....
since then.
Until February 2007, Astro News was co-produced with the national news agency Bernama
BERNAMA
BERNAMA is a news agency of the government of Malaysia. It is an autonomous body placed under the Information, Culture and Communications Ministry. It was set up by an Act of Parliament in 1967 and started work on 26 May 1968....
, with the former taking 12 minutes of the programme for general. The news is also translated into Mandarin Chinese on Astro AEC
Astro AEC
Astro AEC is a 24-hour in house Mandarin-generic television channel from Malaysia, which is provided by Astro on channel 301 . It offers local content as well as programmes from China, Taiwan, Singapore and Japan.-External links:*...
, Malaysian
Malaysian language
Malaysian or Standard Malay is the official language of Malaysia and a standardized form of the Malay language of the Austronesian family. It is over 80% cognate with Indonesian and is spoken natively by over 10 million people...
on Astro Ria
Astro Ria
Astro Ria is a Malaysian 24 hour television network broadcast on the Astro satellite television service. It was one of the first 22 channels to commence broadcast on Astro in 1996.Programs on the network include Malay dramas, films and reality shows....
and Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
on Astro Vaanavil
Astro Vaanavil
Astro Vaanavil is Malaysia's first 24-hour Tamil language television channel broadcast on the Astro satellite television service. It was one of the first 22 channels to commence broadcast on Astro in 1996. Astro Vaanavil is owned by South East Asia's second richest man Ananda Krishnan.Most of its...
. English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
news was also aired on Astro Prima
Astro Prima
Astro Prima is a Malaysian television channel owned and operated by Astro. This channel broadcasts Malay programmes for the whole family such as local serial dramas and telemovie since April 16, 2007. Preceding this date, Astro Prima broadcasts foreign language programmes catering to Malay audiences....
. Between then and February 2008, Bernama took over the full half-hour production pending a revamp of the internal news team at Astro. Astro Awani was first launched on June 2006 in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
by a joint venture between Astro and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
-based NDTV
NDTV
NDTV is an Indian commercial broadcasting television network founded in 1988. It was founded by Prannoy Roy, an eminent journalist and current chairman and director of NDTV Group. NDTV currently has more than 1,000 employees producing news from over twenty locations in India...
.
The launch of Astro Awani proved to be a significant milestone for NDTV and Astro, as it is the first channel launched by NDTV outside of India. It first distributed throughout Indonesia on PT Direct Vision's platform, Astro Nusantara
Astro Nusantara
Astro Nusantara was a satellite television service in Indonesia, operated by PT Direct Vision since 28 February 2006, a joint venture company between Astro All Asia Networks plc and PT First Media Tbk, a subsidiary of Lippo Group. The service consisted of 48 channels including 5 locally produced...
.
On September 6, 2007, Astro Awani was launched in Malaysia, at the Palace of Golden Horses.
Astro Awani was the only 24-hour international news channels told from a local perspective exclusively in the Malaysian language
Malaysian language
Malaysian or Standard Malay is the official language of Malaysia and a standardized form of the Malay language of the Austronesian family. It is over 80% cognate with Indonesian and is spoken natively by over 10 million people...
until February 28, 2008, when Bernama TV
Bernama TV
Bernama TV is a 24 hour international news and current affairs television network in Malaysia. It is owned by Bernama, a government news agency. The service places emphasis on decidedly right-leaning and pro-government content and views...
launched, offering three other languages other than the national language.
As of December 2010, some of Astro Awani's programmes such as Gala TV and Awani 7.45 are airing on Astro Ria
Astro Ria
Astro Ria is a Malaysian 24 hour television network broadcast on the Astro satellite television service. It was one of the first 22 channels to commence broadcast on Astro in 1996.Programs on the network include Malay dramas, films and reality shows....
every Monday to Thursday, starting with the recorded version of Gala TV at 7:30 pm followed by the live simulcast of Awani 7.45 at 7:45 pm for 30 minutes.
Reception
Astro Awani is encrypted on the MEASATMEASAT
MEASAT Satellite Systems Sdn. Bhd., formerly Binariang Satellite Systems Sdn. Bhd is a Malaysian communications satellite operator.MEASAT is the name of a line of communications satellites owned and operated by the company.As of 2006, the MEASAT satellite network consists of three geostationary...
satellites carrying Astro.
Regular presenters
When elections, either national or international, take place, Astro edits its schedule to focus on them. Recent examples have been the Malaysian Elections of 2008 and the UMNO Elections of 2009.Notable Personalities
- Suhaimi SulaimanSuhaimi SulaimanSuhaimi Sulaiman is a senior news anchor and a media strategist in the Astro Awani News Channel. He was born in Negeri Sembilan and attended the Malay College Kuala Kangsar, Kuala Kangsar, Perak for secondary schooling. Previously he worked with Media Prima's TV3 for 12 years. He began the carrier...
- Ashwad Ismail
- Syed Faradino Omar
- Rizal Zulkapli
- Nazri Kahar