Asianet is an Indian Malayalam language general entertainment pay television channel. It is owned by Disney Star, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company India, and operated by Asianet Star Communications. It has its headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram. Asianet has a variety of programs, including movies, sports, and reality shows. In addition to its broadcast programming, Asianet also offers online and mobile video streaming. For more information, visit Asianet’s official website.
Asianet was founded in 1995, and has been in operation ever since. Originally, the channel aimed to cater to Malayalees living outside India, but was restructured into a News Channel in 2007. Asianet broadcasted its first news bulletin on 30 September 1995. In 2000, Asianet took over the Gorky Bhavan building in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, and reopened it as Asianet News. However, Central Government approval took much longer than anticipated, so the channel was not launched until 1 May 2003.
The company was initially owned by Dr Raji Menon, who later died from lung cancer. He had created the company to resolve cable networking issues. His office in Chennai became the company’s headquarters, and Dr Menon appointed his nephew as its figurehead chairman. In 1999, Asianet had a healthy financial state, and Dr Menon sold the remaining shares to Jupiter Capital. Today, Asianet has a strong presence in many Asian countries, including India.
While Asianet was started by Dr Raji Menon, it has gone through several owners since then. In late 2006, Menon sold off part of the company and handed over control to Jupiter Entertainment Ventures. In November 2008, Star India purchased a 51% stake in the company. Together with JEV, it took over Asianet Communications in 2014.