Astro asked to broadcast Islamic TV, says Jamil

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 6 — Minister for Islamic Affairs Senator Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom said today that the government will ask paid-television service provider Astro to broadcast the newly launched television station, TV Al-Hijrah, before the end of the year.

TV Al- Hijrah is the country’s first free-to-air (FTA) high-definition channel which began broadcasting yesterday.

“We have asked if Astro could broadcast TV Al-Hijrah as soon possible and if possible next week when the channel is officially launched,” he told reporters when launching the channel at its headquarters here.

The station’s chief operation officer Bukhari Che Muda added that the company is currently in discussion with Astro to broadcast the channel by the second quarter next year.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is scheduled to launch the television station on December 7.

However Astro may be reluctant to host TV Al-Hijarh as it already broadcasting its own Muslim lifestyle channel, Astro Oasis and Media Prima Berhad’s free-to-air Islamic station, TV9.

TV Al-Hijrah is a government initiative to establish a channel based on Islam and provide an Islamic perspective through its programmes.

The Islamic lifestyle channel is owned by Alhijrah Media Corporation, a company incorporated under the Prime Minister’s Department that appointed Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) chief Tan Sri Yusoff Nor as its chairman in October last year.

The government has already granted an initial allocation of RM60 million and The Malaysian Insider understands that Yusof has provided an additional funding of RM100 million from Felda for the TV station.

Bukhari said today that the company has only spent RM30 million in setting up the channel.

“For us to establish this station, we need to be equipped with the proper broadcasting equipments so we have spent about RM30 million. These are the main costs that are needed to have a TV station but to expand our efficiency, we will need more equipments and studios than the current live studio. So what we have received from the government has been used to establish a TV station,” he said.

In June, the channel awarded KUB Telekomunikasi Sdn Bhd a RM29.5 million contract to provide equipment and engineering services for its high-definition digital broadcast centre.

According to documents made available to The Malaysian Insider, the programme schedule will divided into six main segments.

These will cover a range of demographics and formats: from children to teenagers and women; entertainment and reality shows; educational, news and documentaries; drama and films; sports and recreation; and forums.

However, the bulk of the programming will be documentaries (32 per cent), spiritual shows (20 per cent) and talk shows (17 per cent).

TV Al-Hijrah will have its own news segments with local and international news reports “without the influence of western perceptions”.

The news segment will also give priority to reports related to Islam and “spread the policies and aspirations of the government.”

TV Al-Hijrah also plans to have a segment dedicated to the annual haj pilgrimage to Mecca.

The channel will provide live coverage from Mecca and broadcast the movement of the pilgrims in the holy city.

The launch of Al-Hijrah was postponed after it was scheduled to be launched in December last year.

The channel will be under the jurisdiction of the minister for Islamic affairs in the Prime Minister’s Department and will be equal to other agencies under the department like Jakim, Yadeim, Yapeim and Tabung Haji. - Malaysian Insider