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Television in Sri Lanka dates back to 1979. Television broadcasting, like other forms of media in the country, is generally divided along linguistic lines, with state and private media operators providing services in Sinhala, Tamil, and English languages.
History
Preliminary work was underway in the first half of the 1970s. Businessmen Anil Wijewardena and Shan Wickremasinghe established the country's first TV station, Independent Television Network, which started broadcasting on 15 April 1979. The new station remained independent for less than two months, as the government took control of it on 5 June 1979 following a dispute with President J. R. Jayewardene. and started broadcasting on 15 February 1982.
Since the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, television has increased in use for distance education. A table has been created for children to find free study channels in Sri Lanka if they are unable to attend school.
The analogue spectrum was full in November 2025, with no less than 24 channels. The government decided to suspend issuing licenses to new analogue channels and announced the shutdown of analogue signals by 2029. Sri Lanka will employ the ISDB-T standard.
Television providers
Current
The following is a list of current television providers based in Sri Lanka.
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%"
|+
! valign="bottom" |Provider
! valign="bottom" |Ownership
! valign="bottom" |Owner
! valign="bottom" |Transmission
! valign="bottom" |Established
|-
| align="left" |Ask Cable Vision || align="left" |Private || align="left" |Ask Media & Cable Vision || align="left" |Analog cable ||
|-
| align="left" |City Cable || align="left" |Private || align="left" |City Cable Links || align="left" |Analog cable, digital cable ||
|-
| align="left" |Dialog TV || align="left" |Private || align="left" |Dialog Axiata || align="left" |Digital satellite ||
|-
| align="left" |Star TV Lanka Satnet|| align="left" |Private || align="left" |Star TV Lanka|| align="left" |Digital satellite || 1945
|-
| align="left" |Lanka Broadband Networks || align="left" |Private || align="left" |Lanka Broadband Networks || align="left" |Analog cable, digital cable ||
|-
| align="left" |PEO TV|| align="left" |State-owned || align="left" |SLTMobitel || align="left" |IPTV ||
|-
| align="left" |Satcom || align="left" |Private || align="left" |Future Sat Com Holdings || align="left" |Satellite ||
|-
| align="left" |TV Lanka || align="left" |Private || || align="left" |Digital terrestrial || 2012
|}
Former
The following is a list of former television providers which were based in Sri Lanka.
{|class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%"
! valign=bottom|Provider
! valign=bottom|Ownership
! valign=bottom|Owner
! valign=bottom|Transmission
! valign=bottom|Established
! valign=bottom|Closed
|-
| align=left|Multivision || align=left|Private || align=left|Ruhunu 2001 Multivision || align=left|Analog microwave || ||
|-
| align=left|Franknet || align="left" |Private || align=left|T.Guhan|| align=left|Cable TV || ||
|}
Television stations
Current
The following is a list of current television stations based in Sri Lanka.
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="font-size:90%; text-align:left;"
|-
! style="vertical-align:bottom;" rowspan=2|Station
! style="vertical-align:bottom;" rowspan=2|Ownership
! style="vertical-align:bottom;" rowspan=2|Owner
! style="vertical-align:bottom;" rowspan=2|Language
! style="vertical-align:bottom;" rowspan=2|Established
! style="vertical-align:bottom;" colspan=2|<small>Terrestrial</small>
! colspan="3" style="vertical-align:bottom;" |<small>Satellite</small>
!
! style="vertical-align:bottom;" |<small>Cable</small>
! style="vertical-align:bottom;"|<small>IPTV<br></small>
! style="vertical-align:bottom;" rowspan=2|<small>Streaming</small>
|-
! style="vertical-align: bottom;"|<small>Analogue</small><br>
! style="vertical-align:bottom;"|<small>Digital</small>
! style="vertical-align:bottom;"|<small>Dialog<br>TV</small><br>
! style="vertical-align:bottom;"|<small>Dish<br>TV</small><br>
!Freesat
!ASK Cable Vision (Pvt) Ltd
! style="vertical-align:bottom;" |<small>LBN</small><br>
! style="vertical-align:bottom;"|<small>PEO<br>TV</small><br>
|-
| align=left|Haritha TV || align=left|Non-profit || align=left|Haritha Network || align=left|Sinhala || || || || ||
|
| || || ||
|-
| align=left|A Plus Kids TV || align=left|Private || align=left|Ru Sala Media Networks Pvt Ltd || align=left|Sinhala || || || || ||
|
| || || ||
|-
| align=left|Ada Derana News Channel || align="left" |Private || align=left|Derana Macro Entertainment under Dilith Jayaweera || align=left|Sinhala/English || || || || ||
|
| || || ||
|-
| align=left|ART Television || align=left|Private || align=left|IWS Holdings || align=left|English || || || || ||
|
| || || ||
|-
| align=left|Channel C || align=left|Private ||align=left|Wide Angle Productions|| align=left|Sinhala || || || || ||
|
| || || ||
|-
| align=left|Channel Eye|| align="left" |State-owned || align=left|Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation || align=left|English || || || || ||
|
| || || ||
|-
| align=left|Channel One || align=left|Private || align=left|Dialog TV || align=left|Sinhala / English || || || || ||
|
| || || ||
|-
| align=left|Citi Hitz || align=left|Private || align=left|OnAir World Ceylon || align=left|Sinhala || || || || ||
|
| || || ||
|-
| align=left|Colombo TV || align=left|Private || align=left|Colombo Television Limited || align=left|Sinhala || || || || ||
|
| || || ||
|-
|Dan TV ||Private ||ASK Media (Pvt) Ltd ||Tamil ||1 January 1999 || || || ||
|
| || || ||
|-
| align="left" |Dharmavahini TV || align="left" |Private|| align="left" |Dharmavahini Foundation || align="left" |Sinhala|||| || || ||
|
| || || ||
|-
| align="left" |Dream TV|| align="left" |Private || align="left" |GalleZone Solutions|| align="left" |Sinhala || || || || ||
|
| || || ||
|-
| align="left" |ETV|| align="left" |Private || align="left" |Lyca Productions|| align="left" |English || || || || ||
|
| || || ||
|-
| align="left" |Heritage TV|| align="left" |Private || align="left" |Heritage Television || align="left" |Sinhala || || || || ||
|
| || || ||
|-
| align="left" |Hiru TV|| align="left" |Private || align="left" |Asia Broadcasting Corporation || align="left" |Sinhala || || || || ||
|
| || || ||
|-
| align="left" |ITN Channel|| align="left" |State-owned || align="left" |Independent Television Network|| align="left" |Sinhala || || || || ||
|
| || || ||
|-
|iTV || Private || Power Hands Media Network || Sinhala || || || || || || || || || ||
|-
| align="left" |Knowledge TV || align="left" |Private || align="left" |Pix & Words || align="left" |Sinhala || || || || ||
|
| || || ||
|-
| align="left" |Nethra TV || align="left" |State-owned || align="left" |Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation|| align="left" |Tamil || || || || ||
|
| || || ||
|-
| align="left" |Rangiri TV || align="left" |Non-profit || align="left" |Rangiri Sri Lanka Media Network || align="left" |Sinhala || || || || ||
|
| || || ||
|-
| align="left" |Raw TV || align="left" |Private || align="left" |Raw Television || align="left" |Sinhala || || || || ||
|
| || || ||
|-
| align="left" |Ridee TV || align="left" |Private || align="left" |Tiss Nagodavithana Films || align="left" |Sinhala || || || || ||
|
| || || ||
|-
| align="left" |Rupavahini|| align="left" |State-owned || align="left" |Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation || align="left" |Sinhala || || || || ||
|
| || || ||
|-
|Jaya TV Sri Lanka ||Private ||Jayamaga Media Network ||Sinhala ||4 February 2020 || || ||25 ||
|
| || ||94 ||
|-
| align="left" |TV Supreme|| align="left" |Private || align="left" |Supreme Global Holdings || align="left" |Sinhala || || || || ||
|
| || || ||
|-
| align="left" |Sarana TV || align="left" |Non-profit || align="left" |Sarana Media Network || align="left" |Sinhala|| || || || ||
|
| || || ||
|-
| align="left" |Shakthi TV|| align="left" |Private || align="left" |MTV Channel|| align="left" |Tamil || || || || ||
|
| || || ||
|-
| align="left" |Shraddha TV|| align="left" |Non-profit || align="left" |Mahamevnawa Buddhist Monastery || align="left" |Sinhala || || || || ||
|27
| || || ||
|-
| align="left" |Sindu TV || align="left" |Private || align="left" |Iraj Productions || align="left" |English/Sinhala || || || || ||
|
| || || ||
|-
| align="left" |Sirasa TV|| align="left" |Private || align="left" |MTV Channel|| align="left" |Sinhala || || || || ||
|
| || || ||
|-
| align="left" |Siyatha TV|| align="left" |Private || align="left" |Voice of Asia Network || align="left" |Sinhala || || || || ||
|
| || || ||
|-
| align="left" |Siyasa TV || align="left" |Private || align="left" |Siyasa Media Network || align="left" |Sinhala || || || || ||
|
| || || ||
|-
| align="left" |Sri TV || align="left" |Private || align="left" |Sri TV || align="left" |Sinhala || || || || ||
|
| || || ||
|-
| align="left" |Star Tamil || align="left" |Private || align="left" |Voice of Asia Network || align="left" |Tamil || || || || ||
|
| || || ||
|-
| align="left" |Swarga TV || align="left" |Non-profit || align="left" |Rock Foundation || align="left" |English/Sinhala/Tamil || || || || ||
|
| || || ||
|-
| align="left" |Swarnavahini|| align="left" |Private || align="left" |Lyca Productions|| align="left" |Sinhala || || || || ||
|
| || || ||
|-
| align="left" |Talent TV || align="left" |Private || align="left" | Capital Corp. || align="left" |Sinhala || || || || || || || || || ||
|-
| align="left" |The Buddhist|| align="left" |Non-profit || align="left" |Sri Sambodhi Foundation || align="left" |Sinhala || || || || ||
|
| || || ||
|-
| align="left" |TNL TV|| align="left" |Private || align="left" |Telshan Networks || align="left" |English/Sinhala || || || || ||
|
| || || ||
|-
| align="left" |TV 1|| align="left" |Private || align="left" |MTV Channel|| align="left" |English/Sinhala || || || || ||
|
| || || ||
|-
| align="left" |Derana TV || align="left" |Private || align="left" |Derana Macro Entertainment under Dilith Jayaweera|| align="left" |Sinhala || || || || ||
|
| || || ||
|-
| align="left" |TV Didula || align="left" |Non-profit|| align="left" |Sanhinda Media Network || align="left" |Sinhala || || || || ||
|
| || || ||
|-
| align="left" |UTV Tamil|| align="left" |Private || align="left" |SATIS Agency (Pvt) Ltd || align="left" |Tamil || || || || ||
|
| || || ||
|-
| align="left" |Vasantham TV|| align="left" |State-owned || align="left" |Independent Television Network|| align="left" |Tamil || || || || ||
|
| || || ||
|-
| align="left" |Verbum TV|| align="left" |Non-profit || align="left" |Verbum Television || align="left" |English/Sinhala/Tamil || || || || ||
|
| || || ||
|-
|CeyFLiX ||Private ||Ausflix PTY LTD ||Sinhala/English/Tamil/Hindi ||2019|| || || ||
|
| || || ||
|-
|Lankan Link ||Private ||CodeNinja PTY LTD ||Sinhala/English/Tamil ||2015|| || || ||
|
| || || ||
|-
|}
Former
The following is a list of former television stations which were based in Sri Lanka.
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="font-size:90%; text-align:center;"
|-
! style="vertical-align:bottom;" |Ownership
!Closed
!
! style="vertical-align:bottom;" |Station
! style="vertical-align:bottom;"|Language
! style="vertical-align:bottom;"|Established
|-
| align="left" |
|
|
| align="left" | || align="left" | ||
|-
| align="left" |Private
|2013
|
| align="left" |DAN Tamil Oli || align="left" |Tamil ||
|-
| align="left" |
|
|
| align="left" | || align="left" | ||
|-
| align="left" |State-owned
| 2010
|
| align="left" |Prime TV || align="left" |English ||
|-
| align="left" |Private
|2009
|
| align="left" |TV 2 || align="left" |English ||
|-
| align="left" |
|
|
| align="left" | || align="left" | ||
|}
Notes
References
External links
- Telecommunications Regulatory Commission
- [https://internetlk.com/sri-lanka-television-channels-list/]