A Broadcasting History of Malaysia: Progress and Shifts

This chapter aims to delve into the history of broadcasting in Malaysia since the 1980s. We will go down memory lane and see the inception of the first private television station in the country - Sistem Television Malaysia Berhad (STMB) or better known as TV3 which received its licensed in 1983. We also look at Malaysia’s first cable network popularly known as ASTRO, a brand name of the Malaysian direct broadcast satellite pay television service. It transmits digital satellite television and radio to households in Malaysia and Brunei and is owned and operated by MEASAT Broadcast Network Systems, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Astro All Asia Networks. The other entity is Radio Television Malaysia or better known as RTM, a government owned television network. This chapter also looks at the question of ownership as there are strong political and economic ties between the government and the media. While privatization is a goal in the business sector, a free press without government restrictions is not as the government controls the presses and the publishing enterprises throughout Malaysia.