Astro Awani
is a
Malaysian
news channel, founded by and currently broadcast through streaming service and pay TV provider
Astro
. It broadcasts an array of programmes including bulletins, business & current affairs shows, special interviews, investigative reports, variety programmes, as well as selected magazine shows.
Its signature programmes include Awani 7:45, its primetime news programme; Agenda Awani, which discusses current affairs; and Buletin Awani, which provides rolling news bulletins on an hourly basis.
In 2002, Astro Ria had its own news programme titled
Bloomberg RIA News
made in collaboration with
Bloomberg News
. This was later spun off into a precursor news channel named
Astro News
carrying programming from
Al Jazeera
(broadcast in
Arabic
with live
Malaysian
dubbing),
BBC World
,
CCTV-9
,
Eurosport News
, the
Australia Network
and
Deutsche Welle
; almost all networks except DW carried on that channel were since available separately. It also aired a half-hour locally produced eponymous news program with the national news agency
Bernama
until February 2007 also translated into
Mandarin Chinese
on
Astro AEC
(
Chinese
:
Astro??新?
;
pinyin
:
Astro Hu?yu X?nwen
), Malaysian on
Astro Ria
(as
Berita Astro
) and
Tamil
on
Astro Vaanavil
(as
Astro ?????????
Astro Sedhigal
).
The brand Astro Awani was first launched on 15 June 2006 in Indonesia originally as a infotainment and lifestyle channel part of the main line-up for Astro's Indonesian operations or Astro Nusantara, a joint venture between Astro
[1]
[2]
and
India
-based
NDTV
. However, due to continued differences between the JV partners, the Indonesian version went off-air in October 2008. Meanwhile on 6 September 2007, Awani launched in Malaysia in a press conference at the Palace of the Golden Horses hotel,
Seri Kembangan
.
[3]
On 26 February 2008, the channel was renumbered to channel 501,
[
citation needed
]
and has kept this designation ever since.
The programming of Astro Awani is focused primarily on news, business, and politics with weather updates, sports news, informative and lifestyle programs as secondary contents. The network also shows documentaries and television specials. Unlike
Berita RTM
and
Bernama TV
, which airs news in Malay, English, Mandarin and Tamil, Astro Awani only airs news in both Malay and English.
[4]