Channel i (Bengali: চ্যানেল আই) is a Bangladeshi Bengali-language satellite and cable television channel owned by Impress Group. It was launched on 1 October 1999, as Bangladesh's first digital television channel. It is one of the oldest satellite television channels in Bangladesh.[1] Channel i is broadcast via satellite television using PanAmSat and Bangabandhu-1,[2] covering most of Asia and parts of Australia. It is sister to the radio station, Radio Bhumi.[3]

Channel i
CountryBangladesh
Broadcast areaWorldwide
HeadquartersTejgaon, Dhaka
Programming
Picture format1080i HDTV
(downscaled to 16:9 576i for SDTV sets)
Ownership
OwnerImpress Group
History
Launched1 October 1999; 25 years ago (1999-10-01)
Links
Websitechannelionline.com

History

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Prior to the establishment of the channel, Faridur Reza Sagar established Impress Telefilm, which initially produced small-mini series and one-off shows for state-owned Bangladesh Television.[4] Channel i began broadcasting on 1 October 1999 from a small building in the Siddheshwari neighborhood of Dhaka,[5] with the "Hridoye Bangladesh" (হৃদয়ে বাংলাদেশ; lit.'Bangladesh in the heart') slogan, which is still used as of today.[6] It initially broadcast pre-recorded television programs for 12 hours, but was converted to a 24-hour channel within two years of its launch.[7]

On 1 October 2001, Channel i began airing news programming.[8] The channel launched its website on 30 September 2003.[6] Channel i's news director, Shykh Seraj, created Hridoye Mati O Manush, based on the old Bangladesh Television program Mati O Manush, which debuted on the channel on 21 February 2004.[9] In March 2008, the channel began broadcasting Sisimpur to Bangladeshi children worldwide.[10] Channel i had also broadcast modern western-themed telefilms, such as Play, directed by M-SIB, in 2010, thus making them the first Bangladeshi television channel to do so.[11] On 11 June 2015, BBC Bangla's BBC Probaho premiered on Channel i.[12]

Channel i was one of the nine Bangladeshi television channels to sign an agreement with Bdnews24.com to subscribe to a video-based news agency run by children called Prism in May 2016.[13] Channel i began high definition broadcasts on 15 September 2017, and fully migrated from standard definition broadcasts on 1 October.[14][15] For Bangladesh Television's 55th anniversary on 25 December 2019, Channel i organized a special program in its headquarters in Tejgaon, which was broadcast on both networks.[16]

Programming

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Current and former

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Audience share

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In 2010, Channel i held a total audience share of 36%, tied with ATN Bangla. In urban areas, the channel had an audience share of 62%, the highest among privately owned channels in Bangladesh, and in metropolitan areas, it had a share of 61%.[25] Channel i was ranked highest among most watched television channels in Bangladesh during its founding anniversary in 2013.[26]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Deepita, Novera (4 February 2006). "From BTV to ETV and beyond: The television revolution". The Daily Star. Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  2. ^ "Satellite charts - Channel list - Bangabandhu-1". SatBeams. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  3. ^ "Our Subsidiaries". Impress Group. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  4. ^ Sagor, Faridur Reza (4 October 2014). "The Genesis of Impress Telefilm". The Daily Star. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  5. ^ "Channel i turns 14". The Daily Star. 2 October 2012. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  6. ^ a b "Channel-i goes 5 steps ahead". The Daily Star. 30 September 2003. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  7. ^ "Channel i Online". Channel i Official Website. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
  8. ^ ১৭ বছরে পা দিলো চ্যানেল আই. Jago News 24 (in Bengali). 30 September 2015. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  9. ^ ""Hridoye Mati O Manush" turns five". The Daily Star. 21 February 2008. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  10. ^ Moody, Annemarie (3 March 2008). "Bangladeshi Sesame Street Will Broadcast Internationally". Animation World Network. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  11. ^ "'Most expensive' Bangladeshi telefilm premieres at Doha even." Gulf Times. Archived from the original on 1 March 2014.
  12. ^ a b বাংলাদেশে চ্যানেল আই-তে শুরু হলো বিবিসি প্রবাহ. BBC Bangla (in Bengali). 11 June 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  13. ^ "Prism signs up with 7 TV channels". BDNews24. 17 May 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  14. ^ লাল সবুজের চ্যানেল আইয়ের ‘এইচডি’ সম্প্রচার শুরু. Channel i Online (in Bengali). 15 September 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  15. ^ ১ অক্টোবর থেকে এইচডি ফরমেটে চ্যানেল আই. Samakal (in Bengali). 29 September 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  16. ^ চ্যানেল আই চত্বরে বিটিভি’র জন্মদিন!. Bangla Tribune (in Bengali). 25 December 2019. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  17. ^ "Farooki's '420' returns to Channel i today". The Daily Star. 5 October 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  18. ^ "BBC Bangladesh Shonglap on Channel i". The Daily Star. 23 August 2009. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  19. ^ ""Dainik Tolpar" begins on Channel-i tonight". The Daily Star. 18 April 2008. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  20. ^ ""Ekjon Mayaboti" on Channel i". The Daily Star. 30 August 2015. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  21. ^ "Ghor Kutum's Gauhar: Khushi in the real life". The Daily Star. 2 March 2008. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
  22. ^ "আসছে 'প্রিয় দিন প্রিয় রাত'". Jagonews24.com (in Bengali). 28 June 2018. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
  23. ^ ফেব্রুয়ারির শেষ দিন থেকে শুরু ‘সাত ভাই চম্পা’. Jago News 24 (in Bengali). 19 February 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  24. ^ "Shonar Pakhi Rupar Pakhi in the making". The Daily Star. 11 April 2016. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
  25. ^ Hasan, Khalid (June 2010). "TV 2010". The Daily Star. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  26. ^ জন্মদিনে টিআরপির শীর্ষে চ্যানেল আই. RisingBD (in Bengali). 30 September 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2022.