TV channels Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan television carries the island's languages: Sinhala, Tamil and English each have their screens, from the state institutions to the private networks and the faith channels.

The State Institutions

ITN - the Independent Television Network - is where television in Sri Lanka began: launched in 1979, it was the island's first TV channel, a state-governed broadcaster headquartered in Battaramulla whose coverage reaches 99% of the country in Sinhala, Tamil and English. Rupavahini TV, the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation, has been the state broadcaster on air since 1982. Their Tamil-language services appear too: Vasantham TV on the ITN network and NethraTV, Rupavahini's Tamil channel from Colombo.

The Private Sinhala Networks

TV Derana, launched in October 2005, is a private terrestrial network whose main transmission tower stands on Kikilimana mountain. Sirasa TV followed in June 1998, established by MTV Channel as the sister television of the Sirasa FM radio station. Swarnavahini - the Golden Channel - began as ETV in 1994, one of the island's first private channels, and is now the flagship of the EAP media family. Hiru TV - the name means "sun" in Sinhala - is the Asia Broadcasting Corporation channel and the country's first digital television service. The private field fills out with Sri TV, Siyatha TV, TNL TV and DAN Television.

Tamil-Language Television

Shakthi TV was Sri Lanka's first Tamil television service, a general entertainment channel carrying serials, films, news and children's programmes, much of it drawn from India's Sun TV. Together with Vasantham TV and NethraTV, it serves the Tamil-speaking audience from Jaffna to the hill country.

Faith on Air

Two religious services appear in the list. Verbum TV is the Catholic channel, carrying Holy Mass and Christian programming for the island's Catholic community, while Buddhist TV is devoted to Buddhist teachings and practice.

One more card, Haritha TV, is a Malayalam-language channel from Kerala in India - present in the Sri Lankan collection, though its home is across the Palk Strait.