Singapore, 1 April 2005 - Come 7 April 2005, local Malayalee households and fans of Malayalam programmes will have reason to rejoice as Asianet, a dedicated Malayalam channel, will be launched on StarHub Digital Cable.
To be carried on StarHub Digital Cable’s Channel 94, Asianet is the world's first 24-hour Malayalam channel and offers a wide range of genres including news, current affairs, documentaries, comedy hits, talk shows, music and variety shows. Asianet also carries movies and drama series from the biggest Malayalam film library in India.
"Previously, the local Malayalee households did not have a dedicated channel showcasing programmes in their dialect, unlike the Hindi and Tamil communities in Singapore. Today, Malayalee households will be heartened to know that they will soon be able to enjoy a spectrum of Malayalam programmes on a 24/7 basis. From a corporate perspective, the launch of Asianet reflects StarHub's continuing efforts to cater to the needs of ethnic communities in Singapore," commented Ms Sandie Lee, StarHub's Senior Vice President, Cable TV Services.
Ms Lee is optimistic about the take-up for Asianet. "StarHub introduced a one-off, two-day Pay-Per-View of Malayalam programmes in conjunction with the Onam Festival in 2000, and the response was encouraging. We are confident that Asianet will garner a strong following in Singapore," she said.
The impending launch of Asianet was met with a highly enthusiastic response from the Singapore Kerala Association. "It is definitely a dream come true!” said the President of the association, Mr M. M. Dollah. "This is indeed a piece of terrific news that will be much welcomed by the Malayalee community in Singapore. We have launched many initiatives that have helped the Malayalee community develop closer ties with each other. The launch of Asianet by StarHub is set to become the focus of many of our future programmes to foster greater cultural understanding and closer relationships within and outside the Malayalee community in our unique multi-racial diversity."
Asianet will be grouped with the Specialty Channels, and will be available to all StarHub Digital Cable customers for just $8 ($8.40 with GST) monthly in addition to their current cable service.
StarHub's existing channels that cater to the Indian community and fans of Indian programmes are Sun TV, Zee TV, Star Plus and Sony Entertainment Television.
