TVS | |
Country: | Malaysia |
Area: | Malaysia Singapore Brunei Thailand (South Thailand, particularly Songkhla, Narathiwat, Yala and Satun) Indonesia (West Kalimantan, Riau Islands, East Kalimantan, North Kalimantan and Riau) Philippines (Balabac, Palawan and Tawi-Tawi) |
Headquarters: | LG12, Lower Ground Floor, Mall 2, CityOne Megamall, No. 1, Jalan Song, 93350 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia |
Language: | Malay English Iban Mandarin |
Picture Format: | 1080i (/HDTV) |
Owner: | Sarawak Media Group |
Key People: | Dato Norhyati Ismail [1] Haji Kushairi Abang [2] Sarbini Hamdan [3] |
Launch Date: | (TV Sarawak) (TVS) |
Closed Date: | (TV Sarawak) |
Former Names: | TV Sarawak |
Terr Serv 1: | MYTV |
Terr Chan 1: | Channel 122 (HD) |
Online Serv 1: | MYTV |
Online Chan 1: | MYTV Mana Mana / Video On Demand |
TVS (an initialism of its former name, TV Sarawak) is a Malaysian linear digital television channel that provides news and programming from the region of Sarawak to the state and other parts of Malaysia.
Plans for an independent regional Sarawakian broadcaster were discussed since 2017 under the state government of Chief Minister Abang Johari Tun Openg who had complained of indifference in coverage of state affairs from mainstream Kuala Lumpur-based broadcasters. Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM), which had previously ran Televisyen Malaysia Rangkaian Ketiga specifically for Sabah and Sarawak from 1975 to 1984,[4] planned to relaunch a television station for Sarawak as part of the Government's digitalization plan for Malaysian television.[5] The plan did not come to fruition as the plan did not come to the realization by which it was replaced by OKEY, and the state television plan was later undertaken by a private company to be launched as a streaming channel.[6] [7]
The free-to-air license was eventually given the green light in an announcement by Sim Kui Hian, Sarawak's Minister for Local Government and Housing.[8] The station would be given an early broadcast on October 10, 2020, in conjunction with the Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sarawak's Birthday before officially launching the next day on the night of October 11, 2020.[9] [10]
On October 15, 2020, TVS became the main partner of the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (FINAS) and would finance its produced work.[11]
In 2023, TVS planned to cooperate with regional TV stations as part of its plan to expand the creative industry in Sarawak.[12]
Ahead of New Year's Day 2024, TVS launched a new logo based on the colors of the Sarawak flag[13] and at the same time, it proposed to open a branch office in three locations in Sarawak as well as in Kuala Lumpur by the first quarter of 2024.[14] [15]