AsiaSat adds Raj, 9X and PTV Sports to South Asian TV proposition

Hong Kong-based satellite operator AsiaSat has expanded its South Asian television channel roster to over 170, having recently leased transponder space to India's Raj TV Network, 9X Jalwa and 9X Tashan, and Pakistan's new PTV Sports channel. AsiaSat now carries 60 Hindi channels, 40 Urdu channels and many other regional language channels for South Asian viewers. The 11 channels from the Raj TV Network are Tamil entertainment channel Raj TV; Tamil movie channel Raj Digital Plus; Telugu entertainment channel Vissa; Hindi entertainment channel Raj Pariwar; music channels in South Indian languages Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam and Telugu; and news channels in Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam. "AsiaSat 5's unprecedented access to all major cable headends and DTH platforms enables Raj TV to expand its audience base in India and to distribute its services to international markets," a company statement said. Meanwhile, AsiaSat 3S now carries both 9X Tashan, a leading Punjabi music channel in India, and its sister channel 9X Jalwa, a Hindi music channel dedicated to timeless Bollywood hits. PTV sports, a new 24-hour sports channel launched by Pakistan's state broadcaster Pakistan Television Corporation is also carried by AsiaSat 3S. The channel, which broadcasts in Urdu and English, offers sports events such as the Cricket World Cup, hockey and football to Pakistani viewers. AsiaSat 3S also carries other PTV channels PTV Home, PTV News, PTV National and PTV Global. A renewal agreement for the broadcast of 24-hour free-to-air Muslim religious channel Madani has also recently been sealed by Pakistan's Faizan Productions. The channel will have continued C-band capacity on AsiaSat 3S, covering Asia, the Middle East and Australasia.