Mega TV (Malaysia)

Mega TV was Malaysia's first ever subscription-based pay television service. It was incorporated on 18 October 1994 and began transmissions on 1 November 1995 and was operated by Sistem Televisyen Malaysia Berhad (STMB). It failed to break into the pay television market, and shut down in 2001.

Mega TV
(CableView Services Sdn Bhd)
IndustryCable television
Founded1 November 1995
Defunct1 October 2001
HeadquartersPetaling Jaya, Selangor
Area served
Malaysia
OwnerSistem Televisyen Malaysia Berhad
Minister of Finance Incorporated
Eurocrest Sdn Bhd
Ibex TV (M) Sdn Bhd
Sri Utara Sdn Bhd

Mega TV was transmitted from its headquarters in Bandar Utama, in the northern fringes of Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

History

Cableview Services Sdn Bhd or Mega TV was incorporated on 18 October 1994 by a consortium which consisted of Sistem Televisyen Malaysia Berhad, Minister of Finance Incorporated, Eurocrest Sdn Bhd, Ibex TV (M) Sdn Bhd and Sri Utara Sdn Bhd.[1]

In May 1995, the service was slated to launch in the third trimester of 1995, providing a five-channel service. The initial plans were to start the rollout in the Klang Valley, followed by Seremban and Malacca.[2] By August it was announced that Mega TV was set to start on 1 November 1995, after signing a deal to carry HBO Asia.[3]

Cable-based transmissions was officially inaugurated by the 4th Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Doctor Mahathir Bin Mohamad and broadcasts from Petaling Jaya on 1 November 1995 through a microwave-based broadcast system[4][5]

Faced with stiff competition from the Astro satellite television network which was launched seven months later, combined with the failures to expand its content, Mega TV ceased transmission in 2001 as a result, leaving Astro as the one and only pay-TV service provider in Malaysia.

Channel listing

At the time of launch, Mega TV offered the following channels:[6]

Name Language Owner Group Type
TV1 Malay RTM Free-to-air Terrestrial
TV2
TV3 STMB
CNN English CNN News Subscription
Discovery Channel English (Malay subtitle) Discovery Communications Education
ESPN Asia English ESPN Sports
HBO English (Malay subtitle) HBO Movies
Cartoon Network & Turner Classic Movies English (Malay subtitle) Cartoon Network Cartoons/classic movies

References
  1. About
  2. "MEGA TV". The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB). 27 May 1995. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  3. "HBO Asia movies to screen on M'sia cable TV". The Business Times (retrieved from NLB). 24 August 1995. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  4. "Mahathir calls on local media to be innovative". The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB). 1 November 1995. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  5. "Cutting edge for satellite broadcasts". The Business Times (retrieved from NLB). 2 November 1995. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  6. "M'sia launches subscription TV". The Business Times (retrieved from NLB). 2 November 1995. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
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