Supreme Master Television is a
US-based satellite and internet television channel owned by the
Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association (SMCHIA), broadcasting from
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
.
The linear channel started on September 7, 2006, with an interregnum between January 2, 2012 and October 1, 2017. Its programming is centered primarily on vegetarian and vegan principles according to Ching Hai's teachings. The channel features programs on spirituality, predictions regarding the end times and the return of God’s Chosen Messenger, vegan cooking shows,
breatharian principles, and highlights damages and hurt caused by war and famine, it also includes SMCHIA's philanthropic efforts
and recordings of the many spiritual lectures given over previous decades by Supreme Master Ching Hai herself. There is also a news program, Noteworthy News, with an emphasis on uplifting stories, especially from the animal world.
SMTV also offered DVDs of its programming on
Loving Hut restaurants, alongside its tabloid-influenced publications.
The channel employs multiple simultaneous subtitles, with most languages appearing horizontally and Chinese (Traditional and Simplified), Japanese and Korean subtitles appearing vertically.
Initially, its coverage area was limited to Europe, but starting November 16, 2007, it expanded its reach to ten further satellites, achieving worldwide coverage.
RRsat was responsible for the uplink in six of these satellites. In late October 2008, the channel started broadcasting on
Dutch
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* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
** Dutch people as an ethnic group ()
** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship ()
** Dutch language ()
* In specific terms, i ...
cable operator REKAM.
British scriptwriter
Robert Popper reviewed Supreme Master Television (which at the time was available on
Sky
The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the planetary surface, surface of the Earth. It includes the atmosphere of Earth, atmosphere and outer space. It may also be considered a place between the ground and outer space, thus distinct from ...
) in a 2010 column for ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'', exploring the bizarre nature of the channel. ''Noteworthy News'' was seen as "the oddest of the odd", being presented by "semi-humanoid" anchormen. It was also the only news program to feature a joke of the day section, with the joke being delivered in one language.
Supreme Master Television suspended its operations on January 2, 2012. The channel remained blank on satellite for a while longer showing a blank screen. One year after the dissolution of the original Supreme Master Television channel, the British holding company to carry the signal to the UK and Ireland, registered in 2007 by Vietnamese officials, was dissolved.
In 2019, its offer in
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south and southeast. It covers an area of , with a population of 3.5 million, making it the world's List of countries and dependencies by po ...
was influencing many Buddhists ideas on meditation and enlightenment, even though they are not sure of the authenticity of her claims.
Supreme Master TV now streams live on the web, YouTube, and across several other platforms, including in 2025 on shortwave via US radio station WRMI and others.
The channel is also carried on many Loving Hut vegan restaurants financed primarily by initiates/followers of Ching Hai,
which is reportedly carried in all of its restaurants.
References
External links
* {{official
Companies based in Los Angeles
Television channels and stations established in 2006
Television channels and stations disestablished in 2012
Television channels and stations established in 2017