| Type | |
|---|---|
| Country | |
| Availability | Global |
| Motto | विकासकाे लागि सञ्चार ("Communication for Development") |
| TV stations | 3 (including 19 relays) |
| Headquarters | Singha Durbar, Kathmandu, Nepal |
Broadcast area | Worldwide |
| Owner | Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of Nepal |
Key people | Dr. Mahendra Bdr. Bista (CEO) |
Launch date | 30 January 1985; 41 years ago (1985-01-30) (Magh 17, 2041BS) |
Picture format | 1080i (HDTV) (downscaled to 16:9 576i for the SDTV feed) |
Official website | www |
| Language |
|
Nepal Television (Nepali:नेपाल टेलिभिजन), shortened toNTV is the Nepali nationalpublic state-controlled television broadcaster. It's accessible in four languages. It is the oldest and most watched television channel inNepal. The news broadcast at 8:00 PM is the channel's most popular show, followed by comedy programmes such asSakkigoni,Mundre Ko Comedy Club andMeri Bassai.
It also has four sister channels,NTV PLUS,NTV News,NTV Kohalpur andNTV Itahari, all owned by the Nepali government.[1][2][3] The network started broadcasting in HD from 31 January 2019.
Several attempts are being made by media stakeholders to convert and transform NTV into a trulypublic broadcasting entity. NTV, being currently owned by the government, has lost its editorial independence and is accused of being agovernment mouthpiece.[4][5] Nir Shah was the first chairman.
The iconic logo of Nepal Television was designed by artist Deepak Kumar Joshi.
The Nepali government signed an agreement with French government company Sofratev on 14 February 1982 to conduct a preliminary study of the feasibility of a television network in the country for 30 days.[6] Before its creation, Nepal was already receiving spillover signals from India.[7] Its broadcasts started in 30 January 1985 (17 Magh 2041 BS)[8] with limited resources, a 30-minute daily schedule and 400 television sets available in the country. In February 1986, it became a full-fledged corporation under the Communication Act of His Majesty's Government.[9] The channel was initially scheduled to open in December 1986, King Birendra's birthday, but was pushed back by one year (29 December 1985) because the astrologers thought that 1986 was an inauspicious year. The channel received technical support by Erkki and Leena Vihtonen, from Finland, working for the Worldview International Foundation. With no professional infrastructure, NTV's editing was done entirely using tape decks.[10]
Finance MinisterPrakash Chandra Lohani had visited Tokyo in January 1986 and wanted Japanese technicians to help enter Nepal into the television age.[11] In February 1986, NTV moved to new premises at Singha Darbar, which were still partly in use as of 2007.[10] Footage of protests in Eastern Europe and China in 1989, as well as a protest against the monarchs of Nepal in March 1990, led to NTV, as well as other media outlets, becoming autonomous bodies in April 1990, when the country lifted a 30-year ban on political parties.[12]
By the late 1990s, NTV was broadcasting from 5:30pm to just after 10pm daily, with a supplementary period in the mornings (6:30am to 8am, with some productions fromImage Channel) and an additional period on Saturday afternoons from 12pm.[13]
| Channel | Programming | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| NTV World | General Entertainment andNews | English | SD+HD |
| Channel | Programming | Language | SD/HD availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nepal Television (NTV) | General Entertainment andNews | Nepali andEnglish | SD+HD |
| NTV Plus | General Entertainment,Sports andEducational program | ||
| NTV News | News |
| Channel | Language | Region |
|---|---|---|
| NTV Kohalpur | Nepali | Lumbini,KarnaliSudurpaschim |
| NTV Itahari | Koshi,Madhesh Province |
Nepal Television broadcasts for 24 hours daily.
| Date | Transmission times |
|---|---|
| 31 December 1983-now | 04:00-22:00 Nepal Time |