MRTV is a television network owned by
Myanmar Radio and Television
Myanmar Radio and Television (, abbreviated MRTV), formerly the Burma Broadcasting Service (BBS), is the parent of the state-run Myanmar Radio National Service and the MRTV television channel. The television channels are broadcasting from its ...
. It was launched on 3 June 1980 and is the first television network in Myanmar.
History
Television service in Myanmar was first introduced in June 1979 as a test trial in Yangon
following an agreement between Japan's
Matsushita Electric
is a Japanese multinational electronics manufacturer, headquartered in Kadoma, Japan. It was founded in 1918 as in Fukushima by Kōnosuke Matsushita. The company was incorporated in 1935 and renamed and changed its name to in 2008. In 20 ...
and Burma's Heavy Industries Corp. for the production of television sets. MRTV (at the time Burma Television) was first launched on 3 June 1980,
from
Yangon
Yangon, formerly romanized as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar. Yangon was the List of capitals of Myanmar, capital of Myanmar until 2005 and served as such until 2006, when the State Peace and Dev ...
on
VHF channel 6, using a 10 KW transmitter broadcasting to a 70km radius,
with broadcasts in colour (some sources erroneously say that MRTV started as a monochrome service
) beginning on 1 November. Regular television service was formally launched in 1981
using the
NTSC
NTSC (from National Television System Committee) is the first American standard for analog television, published and adopted in 1941. In 1961, it was assigned the designation System M. It is also known as EIA standard 170.
In 1953, a second ...
standard.
The station was built with assistance from the Japanese government and had plans to extend its signal nationwide by the end of the decade. The service was also available in
Mandalay
Mandalay is the second-largest city in Myanmar, after Yangon. It is located on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River, 631 km (392 mi) north of Yangon. In 2014, the city had a population of 1,225,553.
Mandalay was founded in 1857 by Ki ...
from the beginning.
Burma Television started accepting commercial advertising in 1988. That same year, it reached 53,95% of the national population, rising to 82,45% after 1990.
Until the founding of
Myawaddy Television by the Ministry of Defense in 1995, it was the only television channel in the country.
In 2005, MRTV had 195 television relay stations throughout the country.
In October 2013, MRTV started broadcasting on
digital terrestrial
Digital terrestrial television (DTTV, DTT, or DTTB) is a technology for terrestrial television, in which television stations broadcast television content in a digital signal, digital format. Digital terrestrial television is a major technologica ...
with
DVB-T2
DVB-T2 is an abbreviation for "Digital Video Broadcasting – Second Generation Terrestrial"; it is the extension of the television standard DVB-T, issued by the consortium DVB, devised for the broadcast transmission of digital terrestrial telev ...
System, same as most ASEAN Countries. 18 TV channels and 5
Myanmar Radio channels are on MRTV multiplex system. MRTV plans the news interface, to the modern style of starting sequences and will have well-decorated news room. The broadcasting hours also increased to 18 hours (previously 10 hours).
On February 15, 2015, MRTV adding 5 new TV channels to their Multplex Play Out system, such as
MRTV-4
MRTV-4 (Myanmar Radio and Television- 4) is a Burmese television channel jointly operated by MRTV and the Forever Group. Launched in May 2004, the channel broadcasts between 7am and 11pm. Since that time, it is only available to viewers wit ...
,
Channel 7,
5 Plus
5 Plus (stylized as ''5PLUS'') was a short-lived Philippine free-to-air television network owned by Nation Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) and jointly operated by TV5 Network, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of MediaQuest Holdings, Inc. media ...
,
MNTV and
Channel 9.
On March 24, 2018, MRTV added 5 new TV channels to their Multiplex Play out System, such as
Mizzima TV
Mizzima TV is a Burmese digital free-to-air TV channel that run under MRTV's Multiplex Playout System based in Yangon, Myanmar. Mizzima TV is operated by Mizzima Media Co.ltd. They have signed a cooperation agreement with state-run Myanmar R ...
,
DVB TV,
Channel K,
YTV and
Fortune TV
Fortune TV is a Burmese digital free-to-air TV channel that run under MRTV's Multiplex Playout System based in Yangon, Myanmar. Fortune TV is operated by Fortune Group. They have signed a cooperation agreement with state-run Myanmar Radio and Tele ...
.
On January 16, 2024, MRTV updated its in-house channels and free-to-air channels into High Definition (HD) and added 5 new TV channel to their MRTV DTH System, such as Mahar HD, Mahar Esports HD, New Image Channel HD, Readers Channel and Maharbawdi Channel.
Programming
Program's broadcast on Main
MRTV HD channel.
Digital terrestrial television
* Relay Stations List on above, include only 36 Main Transmitter Site. there are over 150 relay stations across the country. that serves for the other small towns and rural areas.
* Only Yangon transmitter site broadcast 24 hours. other relay stations usually shutdown their transmitter at 12am (Midnight) to save budget.
* Relay station's mark with RED Colour are out of service until further notice. Due to the ongoing
Myanmar Civil War
Myanmar has been embroiled in armed conflict since 1948, when the country, then known as Burma, gained independence from the United Kingdom. The conflict has largely been ethnic-based, with ethnic armed organisations fighting Myanmar's arm ...
Satellite television
To reduce relying on the
Relay stations and compete with unlicensed or opposition satellite TV channels,
MRTV launch its own Free to View Direct to Home service called MRTV DTH on February 1, 2022. It offers 20 TV channels, using
Intelsat 39 62°E and
Thaicom 6 78.5°E. Which is some of the beams on those satellite are ranted by
Government of Myanmar
Myanmar ( formerly Burma) () operates ''de jure'' as a unitary assembly-independent republic under its 2008 constitution. On 1 February 2021, Myanmar's military took over the government in a coup, causing ongoing anti-coup protests.
P ...
.
All Channels from MRTV DTH system from both satellite are available for free of charge.
However, most of the
General Entertainment Channels may use Encryption/Scrambled system to prevent spill over.
See also
*
Myanmar Radio and Television
Myanmar Radio and Television (, abbreviated MRTV), formerly the Burma Broadcasting Service (BBS), is the parent of the state-run Myanmar Radio National Service and the MRTV television channel. The television channels are broadcasting from its ...
(Parent organisation)
*
MITV
Ansat Broadcast Sdn. Bhd. (formerly known as U Television, with MiTV being an abbreviation of its former name, Malaysian Interactive Television) is Malaysia's third pay television operator. It was launched on 5 September 2005, after having obtai ...
*
MRTV-4
MRTV-4 (Myanmar Radio and Television- 4) is a Burmese television channel jointly operated by MRTV and the Forever Group. Launched in May 2004, the channel broadcasts between 7am and 11pm. Since that time, it is only available to viewers wit ...
*
MWD
*
Television in Myanmar
Television broadcasting in Myanmar began in 1979 as a test trial in Yangon. The first television service BBS was launched on 3 June 1980, followed by regular service in 1981. Most television networks in the country are broadcast from Yangon. MR ...
*
Media in Myanmar
The print, broadcast and online mass media in Myanmar (also known as Burma) has undergone strict censorship and regulation since the 1962 Burmese coup d'état. The constitution provides for freedom of speech and the press; however, the governme ...
References
External links
Official site of MRTV(Burmese)
{{Authority control
Mass media in Myanmar
Television channels in Myanmar
Television channels and stations established in 1979
Mass media in Yangon
Television in Myanmar
Publicly funded broadcasters
State media