Rupavahini
Rupavahini is a state-owned Sinhala language channel that comes under the Sri Lanka Rupavahini (TV) Corporation (SLRC), which was established through the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation Act, No. 6 of 1982. It transmits on a 20-hour schedule, and features news, teledramas, educational programmes, discussion shows and foreign programmes. Rupavahini is also credited as being the first Sri Lankan channel to telecast foreign teledramas. Channel Eye and Nethra TV, which telecasts programmes in the languages of Tamil and English, function as the sister channels of Rupavahini.
Audience Share
4.3%
Ownership Type
State owned
Geographic Coverage
National
Content Type
Free to air
Media Companies / Groups
SLRC
Ownership Structure
The Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC) was established through the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation Act No. 6 of 1982. Presently, the Rupavahini channel, Channel Eye and Nethra TV are maintained under the SLRC. This body comes under the purview of the Ministry of Finance and Mass Media.
Voting Rights
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Individual Owner
General Information
Founding Year
1982
Affiliated Interests Founder
Mapatunage James Perera, the first Chairperson of Rupavahini, is credited with being the channel's founder even though the channel was officially established by the government under the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation Act No. 6 of 1982. Perera also served as the first Director-General of Radio Ceylon and Chairperson of the following: Paddy Marketing Board, National Library Services Board, the state’s Ceylon Fertiliser Manufacturing Company Limited and the River Valley Development Board. He has also held the posts of Vice Chancellor of the University of Peradeniya, Director of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Education.
Affiliated Interests Ceo
Enokaa Sathyangani Keerthinanda – has been the Chairperson of the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation since June 2018. She is a film director and producer, who started her career in TV and films at Telecine (Pvt) Limited, which was considered to be the largest television production company in South Asia in 1992.
Affiliated Interests Editor-In-Chief
Palitha Senarath Yapa is the current Deputy Director for General Programmes at the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation.
Affiliated Interests other important people
Nawaz Mohammed – Working Director and Board Member
Thusira Malawwethantri – is the current Director General of the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC)
Contact
Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation
Channel Eye/ Nethra TV
No. 2204, Torrington Square, Colombo 7
General: +94 11 250 1050, +94 11 599 506
Fax: +94 11 258 0929
Email: rupavahini@yahoo.com
Website: www.rupavahini.lk
Financial Information
Revenue (in Mill. $)
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Operating Profit (in Mill. $)
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Advertising (in % of total funding)
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Market Share
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Further Information
Meta Data
The Rupavahini channel does not have an official website. Limited information on the channel’s management structure can be accessed via the official website of the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation. As such, secondary sources were referenced for additional information. Financial data for the channels was also not available. Viewership data was obtained from the Kantar Lanka Market Research Bureau (LMRB) for the year 2017. While the Media Ownership Monitor research team reached out to the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation by formally requesting for the corporation’s information on 20 July 2018, the corporation did not respond to the aforementioned request.
